Code Magi Lyrical Rider: StrikerS
by Harouki
Summary: The world does not end once an incident has resolved. Life goes on as the girls that can use magic become women that can use magic. The closing of the chapter in one world is followed by the rising of the curtains in another world. Villains shall rise again and Heroes shall fall. The sequel to Code Magi Lyrical Rider has begun. Code Geass/Madoka/Nanoha/Kamen Rider Cross.
1. Chapter 1: The Curse of Geass

**Code Magi Lyrical Rider: StrikerS**

* * *

**Chapter 1: The Curse of Geass**

"What do you mean you're preventing me from joining anymore rescue operations?" Kururugi Suzaku demanded as he slammed his hand on his superior's and friend's desk.

"Because on the most recent one you were expressing your...frustration over having thrown yourself out a window before saving a child just as the building came down around you," Lelouch vi Britannia, more commonly known as Lelouch Lamperouge, replied. "I can't have you losing it like that all the time so yes...I'm removing you from any and all future emergency response teams."

Suzaku clenched his teeth and his fist as he stared at his friend who met his gaze with equal resolve. After about a minute of silence however, he relaxed his hands and straightened himself up.

"I understand...Sir..."

And with that, Suzaku turned around and left the office, leaving Lelouch to sigh as he spun around in his chair to look out the monitors that showed the scenery outside.

"Would it not be better to have windows instead?" Lelouch's secretary asked.

"Of course not, Mami," Lelouch replied. "It leaves me open to a sniper. Besides, this way I can set what kind of weather I wish to see, like snow."

He pressed a button on the side of his chair and the scenery was suddenly covered in a blanket of snow.

"You are far too paranoid, Lelouch-san," Tomoe Mami sighed as she set down a drink for him.

"Have you forgotten the faces of half the officers during my promotion to colonel?" Lelouch asked. "If anything, I am not doing enough to protect my-"

A sudden bout of coughing cut him off as he quickly covered his mouth with his hand.

"You are still coughing?" Mami asked as she placed a hand on his back. "It's been three weeks..."

"I know..." Lelouch replied as he shook his head. "All these damn progress reports to my so called superiors. They keep demanding weekly reports and have me explain every single thing..."

"Perhaps you should have Shamal-san look at it after all?

"It's just a cough, Mami. No need to worry. I'm probably just close to losing my voice is all."

"Lelouch-san, you can't be so sure about that," Mami said as she placed a hand on his. "Forget about the paperwork for today, I'll take care of it. Go see Shamal-san...for me?"

Lelouch frowned at her before letting out a sigh as he stood up.

"Very well," he said as he finished his tea and set the cup back down. "If it will make you happy."

"It will," Mami nodded with a smile.

"I'm telling you it's just a normal cough," he said as he left the room and closed the door behind him and sighed one more. "I hate lying like this..."

With that, he walked out of the base to head to the medical facility where Shamal worked.

* * *

"Well?" Lelouch asked as he put his shirt back on. "Any new developments?"

"I don't know what to say," Shamal replied. "It still hasn't gotten any worse...but it hasn't gotten any better either."

"I know I shouldn't be complaining...but I'm starting to get annoyed at this. How much time?"

"Two months...but then...I said the same thing several months ago didn't I?"

"Hahaha, indeed..." Lelouch replied with a small laugh. "And I already went from a lowly cadet to a colonel in that time with the TSAB. A little bit more and I'll finally hit general and the Bureau can finally actually get some things done without being blocked by red tape."

"Well if the Bureau had more pragmatic people like you and Admiral Lindy then that could only benefit them," Shamal said returning the smile. "Though I'm worried about your mental health. You've been taking a lot more risks since the first diagnosis haven't you? You're not trying to get killed before you die from your illness are you?"

"That's not...entirely incorrect," Lelouch replied scratching the back of his head. "I don't plan on getting killed, but I want to at least resolve the Combat Cyborg Incident at the very least."

"You still suspect foul play?"

"I've seen Zest Grangaitz in action before, Shamal. The man's skill surpasses Signum's in terms of close combat and is about equal to Fate in magical power. It was supposed to have been just a simple investigation and yet they were assaulted and annihilated, meaning someone tipped off our enemies. The problem lies there...only a few people knew about the plan, all of the rank colonel or higher..."

"But you have a suspect, don't you?"

"Indeed, but that's all I have. I won't be sharing my suspicions though. If I am right, then I'd best keep it to myself, lest I draw you and Hayate into the mix as well. Well then, if there's nothing else, I'll be taking my leave now. I'll see you in two months, Doctor Shamal. And I trust you will continue to respect Doctor-Patient Confidentiality."

"Yes...I won't tell the others..." Shamal nodded as she finished writing her prescription. "For now we'll continue with what we've been trying. It looks like it's stopping your condition but that's about as good as we'll get. Good luck, Colonel Lamperouge."

"I don't need luck," Lelouch replied as he took the prescription and walked out the door and turned to her with a smile. "I have a miracle. Everything will go according to my plans."

Shamal let out a small laugh as the door closed between them.

"_That's right..._" Lelouch thought as the image of a girl in white surrounded by red snow flashed in his mind. "_I won't allow that to happen...not on my life..._"

Nevertheless, his illness was wearing him ragged, reminding him of Li Xingke with his occasional coughs that led to spitting out blood. At least he wasn't at that obvious stage yet.

Magical Feedback.

He supposed that was to be expected.

He had been using so many different types of magic, many of them conflicting each other that there was bound to be some sort of negative effect on his body, especially considering what happened during the second Parallel World.

* * *

Lelouch continued his investigation on the incident for the next two weeks, holding in his coughs whenever anyone else was in the same room as him in order to portray himself as being healthy.

But he was feeling the effects of the illness nonetheless. His chest would contract in pain as if there was a weight pushing against his chest, his throat would burn like he had swallowed a match and his head felt like someone took a sledgehammer to it.

Painkillers could only do so much to alleviate the pain and his only release was whenever he slept, and even then he needed to use sleeping pills.

He was becoming dependent on them and his dosage was increasing each week.

And yet somehow, he still kept the others in the dark about it.

Or at least...that was what he thought.

"Colonel Lamperouge, are you in?" someone asked after knocking on his door.

"Is that you, Signum?" Lelouch asked, looking up from his work. It was a long way from the base she worked on. "Is something the matter?"

"I wish to speak to you for a moment. Is that all right with you?"

"Sure, come on in," Lelouch replied as he turned off his monitor and turned his chair around so he was facing the monitors behind him as Signum came in. "So what can I do for you, Signum?"

"Permission to speak freely, Colonel?"

"Of course Signum, we're friends aren't we? I was never one for formalities anyway."

"Then...as a friend, can you tell me why you've been visiting Shamal once every month?"

"To refill my prescription of sleeping aids of course," Lelouch replied as he opened a drawer at his desk and picked up a small container. "This job is really stressful you know. Perhaps you could convince Hayate to stop at Lieutenant Colonel before she becomes dependent on these as well. The paper work is less than a third of a Colonel's after all."

"Lamperouge...those are pain killers..."

"Wha?"

Lelouch quickly pulled the container in front of him, only to see that they were in fact his sleeping aids. He frowned as he spun around on his chair, meeting Signum's eyes as the woman stood on the other side of his desk.

"You're slipping, Lamperouge," She said softly. "That wouldn't have worked on you before..."

"No...no it wouldn't have..." Lelouch conceded as he put the container back in his drawer.

"You've been distancing yourself from everyone outside of work...when was the last time you even returned home to your apartment...or your own world for that matter?"

"There isn't a need for me back home since I've already passed on the throne to my sister who is being taking cared of by our elder siblings just fine...and as for work...well I'm close to tracking down those Cyborgs from that incident a year ago so I can't let this one go or else the window of opportunity will vanish and it will take another year to find them again...or even longer."

"In that case, why did you react so strangely when I said those were painkillers?"

"Because I thought I grabbed the wrong bottle from Shamal."

"And you didn't notice for two weeks?"

Lelouch was losing this exchange and he knew it. No, he already lost when he showed that extreme reaction to her statement...

"Lamperouge...is something wrong with your body?" Signum asked.

"I...suppose there is something wrong," Lelouch conceded with a sigh.

"And you don't feel the need to let anyone else know?"

"It's because it's nothing that I can't handle. At first I thought it was similar to Hayate's condition two years ago but then my legs still work and other than a headache and throat pains once a month nothing really happens. Oh and insomnia I guess, but that might be more work related than anything else."

"If that's the case, why do you look like someone who's an inch away from death?" Signum asked as she took out a compact from her pocket. "If you haven't noticed, Lamperouge, your face has been getting paler and paler by the day and your eyes have been constantly red."

"I suppose I haven't been getting much sun," Lelouch shrugged as he turned away from the knight. "And my anti-Geass contacts were made a bit thicker than usual so my eyes are still trying to get used to them. While I appreciate your concern, it is unneeded."

Even though he had the back of his chair toward her again, he could tell she was extremely dissatisfied with his answers even though she wasn't saying anything.

"If there is nothing else, may I be left alone for my work?"

"...Very well," Signum said finally as she turned to leave. "But we are not done here, Lamperouge. At the very least, take a short vacation. Mistress Hayate has been worried too."

"So she put you up to this then?"

"No, she's still busy in training. Not everyone is a genius at command like you are, Lamperouge."

"Yes yes, I realize that. As for the vacation...I will take one after this operation I have planned. Would you mind letting Vita and Nanoha know that I plan to ask for their help in about a week?"

"Very well..." Signum nodded as she placed a hand on the doorknob. "Oh...how is that child doing? She is about a year old now, isn't she?"

"Hmm?" Lelouch asked. "Oh, she's doing fine. One might say too fine. She's already begun running."

"Running..." Signum repeated. "Did she not just start crawling a month ago?"

"Indeed," Lelouch nodded with a wry smile. "It's like once she learned she could explore by herself, she wanted to do so faster. A child that already seeks to improve her skills. She will be a fine adult."

"I believe you are looking too far into the future, Lamperouge," Signum sighed as she closed the door behind her, leaving Lelouch to swivel his chair around to the screens depicting a sunny day.

"One can only move towards the future after all," Lelouch sighed. "Though...that doesn't mean one can't stop and look towards the past once in a while."

* * *

_It was a few months after Lelouch realized something was wrong with him that the doctors in Britannia couldn't figure out, so he took Suzaku, C.C. and Jeremiah with him to see if Shamal could figure it out._

"_Thank you again for your patronage," Hikari Natsum said as Lelouch and the others exited the Dimension Traveling Photo Shop._

"_It's scary how used to this we've become," Suzaku said as they headed down the street._

"_Our lives certainly have become interesting, haven't they?" C.C. asked._

"_I suppose so...hmm?" Lelouch began as his eyes darted toward the alleyway across the street from them where a silver shimmer could be seen. "That's..."_

"_What is it, my lord?" Jeremiah asked, turning his head toward the same direction, but the shimmer had already vanished._

"_I...want to say it was nothing but..." Lelouch began as he looked up and down the street. After seeing no cars or other people in sight he bolted across toward the alleyway with the other two behind him. "T-this is..."_

"_What?" Suzaku asked. "A bomb?"_

"_I...think a bomb would have been preferable to this..." Lelouch replied as he lifted up a small basket to show them a small baby wrapped in a pink towel and a white cap._

"_A...a child?" Jeremiah asked as he took the basket from Lelouch. As he did, the child opened its eyes to reveal a violet right eye and a blue left eye. Widening his eyes in shock, Jeremiah carefully pulled back the cap, revealing a small tuft of green hair. "T-this is..."_

"_That child from that time isn't it?" C.C. asked peering at the baby as well._

"_But...that girl was a mage wasn't she?" Suzaku asked. "What is she doing on earth?"_

"_What's more...she doesn't seem more than a few days old at most..." Lelouch frowned. "Did someone really kidnap her from a hospital from a TSAB world just to drop her off here...?"_

_A sharp sob cut him off as the girl started wailing._

"_Ah, don't you think we should get her inside somewhere?" Suzaku asked. "I don't think it's good for a newborn to outside."_

"_And we certainly can't take her to the police here," Lelouch nodded. "Looks like we're taking her with us then..."_

"_I can't wait to see Mami's face," C.C. said with a grin causing Lelouch to sigh._

_And sure enough, when he came through the door with the child in his arms, Mami and the other Puella stared at him. Sayaka even dropped the plate she was holding over her feet and didn't react._

"_You're paying for that," Lelouch said offhandedly as he tried to shush the child who started crying from the noise._

"_A-a-a-a-a-a-a-a BABY?" Mami stammered as she pointed at the child._

"_Green hair..." Kyouko muttered. "It can't be. Is it yours, C.C.?"_

"_That's right," C.C. replied in a deadpan. "Mine and Lelouch's."_

_Another crash came from the kitchen area._

"_Ah! Mami-san fainted!" Madoka called out._

"_Will you lot keep it down!" Lelouch hissed as he tried cradling the child a bit. "There there..."_

"_Here," C.C. said taking the child from him. "Let me do it."_

"_You acting motherly frightens me beyond comprehension," Lelouch replied as she gave him a look._

"_Lelouch...is that _really_ yours?" Homura asked._

"_Not yet," Lelouch replied._

"_What do you mean...'not yet?'" Kyouko asked._

"_We think she's been abandoned or kidnapped and discarded," he explained. "We found her in an alleyway lying in a basket."_

"_What?" Sayaka shouted. "Then shouldn't you take her to the police?"_

"_No one in this city has reported missing baby a few days old and all newborns in the hospitals are accounted for," Lelouch replied as C.C. ordered Jeremiah to go buy some formula. "If she was abandoned, then her parents don't want her. If she was kidnapped...the chances of finding out exactly where she came from is close to zero. You don't just kidnap a child and drop it somewhere for no reason and if you did have one that involved it not being found then you would be sure to leave no traces of a child being born behind such as deleting all records and...disposing of the parents."_

"_Is that what happened?" Madoka asked as Suzaku and Sayaka carried Mami over to a couch and laid her down on it._

"_I don't know," Lelouch admitted. "It is simply a theory. Either way, the fact is that we have no idea where this child came from and so I'm thinking of taking care of her myself."_

"_So she's a princess then?" Kyouko asked. "What's her name?"_

"_Einhalt," Lelouch replied._

"_Einhalt?" Homura asked. "That's...German isn't it? And...a boy's name..."_

_Lelouch simply shrugged his shoulders._

"_I met a girl with that name in my travels," he replied. "The name stood out to me. So I suppose the child will be Einhalt Stratos Lamperouge...and Einhalt si Britannia."_

"_So you're naming her after a girl you met?" Sayaka asked, interested. "Why?"_

"_Because she was able to beat him to the ground," C.C. replied._

"_The details of which will be forever left unsaid," Lelouch said quickly, cutting off all other related questions before they could be asked._

"_Umm, why does she have 'si' when your name has 'vi' in it?" Madoka asked._

"_Children born into the Brtannian Imperial Family take on the particle from their mothers," Suzaku explained for Lelouch. "And as for why 'si' is used..."_

"_It's for the same reason you all believe that this child was mine when I said it," C.C. replied. "With blue eyes being a trait in Lelouch's DNA, people won't question it."_

"_So basically..." Kyouko began. "Einhalt here will be yours and C.C.'s kid on paper?"_

"_More or less," Lelouch nodded as Mami slipped off the couch and landed with a thud on the floor. "Really now...did she always have such a weak heart?"_

_In the end though, Einhalt turned out to be a boon. She provided ample distraction for the girls, especially Nanoha and Hayate, for Lelouch to sneak off and have Shamal do a check on him._

_Of course, all this talk about his own death never bothered him. Because he knew, no matter what happened, he would survive for at least another decade._

* * *

"Lelouch-san, are you okay?" Mami asked as she looked at him through the video feed. "You look unwell. Do you have a cold?"

"No...I think it has something to do with the fact that I'm currently in the arctic sector..." Lelouch replied with a cough as a cold wind blew through the tent. "Sayaka! I thought I told you to zip it up all the way when coming back in!"

"Sorry!" the blue haired girl said as she quickly closed the flaps. "Geez...no need to shout."

"Are you really sure there's something here?" Vita asked as the girls huddled around the stove for warmth. "It's in the middle of nowhere!"

"Do I look like I would be out here for any other reason?"

"If the reason was to mess with us, yes."

"If I was going to do that then I wouldn't be coming along would I?"

"Sayaka-san, your outfit looks a little different doesn't it?" Nanoha asked, ignoring the other two. "Did you change it somehow?"

"Well I'm not gonna go running around in this weather with only a skirt and breastplate am I?" Sayaka asked as she pulled her cape around her a bit more. Her Magical Girl outfit was lined with fur and her shoulders and armed were covered with a thick fabric. She had also forgone her skirt in favor for slacks and armored greaves. "Ahhh...why do bad guys always put their lairs out in the cold?

"Because no one likes to come up here?" Nanoha offered.

"Ah, that makes sense."

"In any case," Lelouch said as he covered another cough with his hand. "I'll call you after the operation, Mami. Give my regards to Einhalt."

"Understood," the blonde nodded. "Then, see you all later."

"You sure you're up to this?" Nanoha asked as Mami disappeared from the screen. "You've been coughing ever since we came up here. And you're going to be talking a lot."

"I'll manage," Lelouch replied as a beeping sounded from the console beside Lelouch. "Target located. That's your cue girls. Good luck out there and keep in radio contact. Target is about five hundred meters north of here."

"Understood," the three of them said with a salute as they exited the tent.

"Stay safe out there girls," Lelouch mumbled as he turned to the console. The screen displayed three triangles on it. One colored pink, one colored red, and one colored blue. The three triangles were moving towards the large circle labeled "Target" from the south at three different points.

"Nanoha, movement at your three o'clock, from the size it looks like the cylinder type drones."

"_I see them,_" Nanoha replied. "_Axel Shooter! Shoot!_"

"Sayaka, move forward about two meters then throw a blade directly to your left."

"_Okay! Let's see...one two...there! Whoa, something exploded!_" Sayaka shouted.

"Vita, send your iron balls straight forward. No need to guide or aim them, they're big enough to be hit no matter where you shoot."

"_Geez how many of these guys are there!_" Vita asked as an explosion could be heard from her end. "_I'm seeing a ton more of them now!_"

"Don't get careless, the window of surprise is slowly closing. Sooner or later the enemy will have activated more of these drones. We need to find the entrance before that."

"_Lelouch-san!_" Nanoha radioed in. "_I see something strange in the nearby ruins._"

"Can you be more specific?" Lelouch asked, turning the volume of Nanoha's channel a bit louder. "Describe it."

"_Umm, it's a patch of dirt that's not covered in snow at all...do you think it may be a door of some sort? I'll open up the monitor..._"

Lelouch sat back as a monitor opened up in front of him. On the screen was Nanoha standing next to a large patch of dirt with hardly any snow on top of it, like it had been moved very recently. He recalled how the Japanese Liberation Front had turned the Narita Mountains into one big fortress where they could roll out Knightmare Frames by having hidden panels rise up and ambush the Britannian...

"Nanoha get out of there now!"

"_Huh? What are you..._"

"Nanoha! Movement to your right!"

"_Wha-! Kyaaah!_"

"Nanoha!"

"_Oi, Lelouch! What happened_!"

"It's a trap! Nanoha fell for the enemy's trap!" Lelouch shouted as he slammed his hand on the console. "Both of you head over to Nanoha immediately! Destroy anything and everything in your way! Be wary of anything! The enemies are using some kind of cloaking to disrupt the scanners and radar! I won't be able to provide support!"

"_Then what are you going to do?_" Sayaka asked as the sound of steel meeting steel rang through the communicator, but the lack of an explosion him she had engaged with some type of close combat unit instead. "_Whoa, these things are scary!_"

"My subordinate is in trouble!" Lelouch replied as he stood up. "I'm going to assist_._"

"_You sure you're up for it?_" Vita asked.

"It doesn't matter if I am or not! I'm the closest one to her position. The two of you should worry about yourselves first!"

With that he tossed his head set off and headed for the exit only for a coughing fit to stop him in his tracks.

"Damn it...not now..." he cursed as he looked down at his hands. "Just a little longer...just a little bit longer. You've held out for this long already damn it!"

[_KAMEN RIDE! DECADE!_]

"Make it!" Decade shouted as he threw open the tent flaps. "I won't let that possibility come to pass! I'll stop it from happening! Somehow...I'll stop it!"

* * *

Nanoha grunted as the giant drone smashed its blades against her device, knocking her downward into the snow. She had never been good at close combat, and this drone was attacking her too relentlessly for her to make an escape safely.

A slim four legged drone with one glowing yellow eye and two long black blades.

If Lelouch hadn't told her it was there, she might have been severely injured. Of course, at the rate this fight was going, that still wasn't an impossibility. Especially not with the drone bringing its blade down upon her, causing her to close her eyes fearfully.

Something wet splashed onto her face instead of the pain she had expected to feel. Slowly, she opened her eyes to see what had happened, only for them to shoot wide open in shock and horror.

In front of her was a man in pink and black armor, standing in front of her and shielding her from the drone that she had been fighting and that the wetness she felt on her face was blood.

His blood.

"Decade-san!" Nanoha screamed as the Rider was struggling to keep the blade in his chest from moving in deeper with both of his hands but it was a losing battle.

"Nrrgh...grrrag...rraaaaaaaaahhhhh!" Decade roared as he twisted his body to the side, snapping the blade off the drone with his hands before pulling it out of his chest. With another roar he threw it at the drone, knocking it back.

Keeping one hand over the wound in his chest, he quickly reached down into his Ride Booker and pulled out a card before inserting it into the Decadriver.

[_FINAL ATTACK RIDE! DE-DE-DE-DECADE!_]

Pulling the Ride Booker off his belt in gun form, nine holographic cards shout out from his belt, smashing back the drone and locking it in place as he raised the gun up.

"Final...Dimension...Shoot..." Decade breathed as he pulled the trigger, shooting a large pink beam through the cards, destroying the drone at the end without a trace. Lowering his arm, Decade then turned around to look at Nanoha.

"Are you...okay...?" he asked with pained breaths.

"Decade...Lelouch-san...you're body..." Nanoha said as she slowly stood up.

"Haha...you look okay..." Decade laughed as the armor vanished, leaving only Lelouch standing in front of her. Tears were flowing from eyes as blood poured down his uniform and from his mouth.

"Lelouch-san!"

"That's great...that's really...great..." he said as his gun slipped from his grasp. "I...made it..."

Then, his knees gave away as he saw the ground coming close to him at great speed.

"Lelouch-san!"

* * *

It hurts a lot.

Of course it did. He was stabbed through the chest. It probably severed his spine and judging from the blood in mouth, probably punctured his lungs as well.

He tried opening his eyes but it felt painful and difficult but he managed to do so. His vision was blurry but he could see three people kneeling around him.

"He opened his eyes!" someone was saying. He couldn't tell who it was. There was a loud ringing noise in his ears distorting the voice. "Don't you dare die on us, you hear me!"

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry...I'm sorry..."

"Calm down! This is not the time to panic! Come on...heal...heal damn it!"

A sudden surge of bile and blood rose in his throat and promptly expelled itself from his mouth.

"Tilt his head to the side! We can't let him choke on his blood and vomit!"

"R-right...!"

He felt a pair of small shaking hands on his head as they forced him to look left, causing the liquid that remained to spill onto the snow, staining it a dark color.

"His skin feels so cold..."

"Of course it does, we're in the snow!"

"He's suffering from hypothermia! Even though my magic is healing him...body temp...dropping...at this rate..."

The voices were growing faint now, almost distant. Strange since they were right next to him. He was feeling extremely tired and the pain was slowly going away. Maybe he should just go to sleep. Just sleep the pain away. Yes that does sound pleasant.

"Stay...us...don't sleep!"

Why? He was oh so very tired now. Not to mention his coughing fits and this cold weather. It would be nice to just go to sleep and forget about it all.

The stress of taking so many different medications and medications for those medications, the stress of dealing with the red tape of the Bureau, the stress of all the damn paperwork he had to deal with, the stress of putting on a false smile in front of the others as he was slowly fading away...the stress of being away from home, from Nunnally, for so long.

Why not just...put it all off...and take...a nice long rest.

After all...he'd earned it...didn't he?

And...it's not like he was going to die...right?

"Stay with us, Lelouch!" the voice shouted over what sounded like a thousand guns shooting off at once...but that was stupid...they weren't in the middle of a warzone.

It was really annoying really. It was keeping him from closing his eyes. The noise was annoying...

"Hurry up damn it! Oi! Down here!"

"Lelouch-san!"

It sounded like another voice. More blurry figures were surrounding him now.

"We need to get him out of here!"

"On three! One...two...three!"

He felt himself being lifted from the snow and immediately another wave of blood and bile shot up from his mouth.

"Be more gentle with him!"

"We don't have time for that Mami! He's going to die if we don't move now!"

"Don't forget to cover his eyes. The last thing we need is for him to try and speak."

"R-right..."

And with that, something fell over his eyes. A piece of cloth perhaps?

"Come on, get him on the transport now!"

"You're going to be fine, Lelouch! Just don't fall asleep!"

"Nanoha, let's go!"

"R-right!"

"Move it pilot!"

What was going on?

He had been moved from the snow toward the source of the loud noise.

The transport...did they call for an evac? How long was it from the time he was stabbed to the time he opened his eyes?

What was a transport doing so close by?

How he was still thinking so coherently through all of this is a wonder.

"How did this happen?"

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry...it's because I messed up..."

"Nanoha-chan..."

"Tch...always playing hero, aren't you, Boy?"

"C.C.-san? Is now really the time?"

"Why not? It's not like we'll get the chance to talk to him again after this. The only reason he's even conscious is because Sayaka is killing herself over there keeping him from bleeding out. The moment she stops, he's either going to pass out from the pain or..."

"Stop it! I don't want to hear it!"

"Even if you don't it's the truth. Someone messed up and someone payed for it."

Damn Witch...

Insulting him even when he's half dead.

"Don't die, Lelouch. I'm not raising your kid by myself."

* * *

Homura ran through the base, jumping aside to avoid crashing into other on-duty personnel as she headed toward the Medical Ward.

How did this happen?

Lelouch wasn't careless enough to let himself get injured like this. Not to the point where it couldn't be healed by himself or Miki Sayaka.

She finally stopped running once she reached the corridor leading to the emergency room due to the wet floor signs.

At the other end of the hall, she spotted Tomoe Mami, Takamachi Nanoha, Vita, C.C. and Miki Sayaka sitting just in front of the ER. The small light over the door was on, telling her that there was an operation in progress.

Vita was sitting beside Nanoha, trying to shake the girl out of her stupor as the younger girl simply stared blankly into space.

Sayaka was staring down at her hands, which were covered in a disturbing amount of blood. Not just her hands though. Blood covered nearly the entire front of her body as if someone had slashed her across the chest and let her bleed all over herself.

Mami was sitting beside Sayaka, crying into her hands while C.C. simply stood with her back against the wall, looking toward the ER.

Vita and C.C. both turned to look at Homura as she approached.

"He's still in there?" Homura asked. She had received the notice about two hours ago when they finally got him into the ER. "Was it really that bad?"

"Put it this way," C.C. said as she pointed at Sayaka. "None of that is Sayaka's and we left a red carpet on the way toward the ER."

Well, that explained the wet floor signs.

Homura reached into her pocket and pulled out several Grief Shards and held them in front of Sayaka's face, catching the other girl's attention.

"Thanks..." she replied dully as she took them. "I almost forgot..."

Homura only nodded as she took a step back and took her place on the wall opposite of C.C.

"What happened?" Homura asked.

"We're...not exactly sure..." Vita replied as she turned to Nanoha who made no response. "Lelouch said...Nanoha was in trouble and that he was going to help. When we got there ourselves..."

Her voice trailed off as she looked at the closed doors.

"A new type of drone..." Sayaka continued as she placed her Soul Gem between the Grief Shards and watched them worked. "Close combat type that can cloak and two giant scythes for arms."

"So...one ambushed Nanoha...and Lelouch took the hit..." Homura muttered but stopped when C.C. nodded her head and turned her eyes toward Nanoha. So instead she turned toward the ER. "Who's in there right now?"

"Shamal and some people she brought with her," Vita said. "But..."

"Would it be enough?" was the question running through everyone's mind.

As if on cue, the light turned off, catching everyone's attention as the door opened and the surgeons all walked out with Shamal leaving last, her gloves and uniform drenched in blood.

"W-well?" Vita asked.

"He's...alive," Shamal settled after a short pause.

"But...?" C.C. asked.

"But...that's it..." Shamal continued softly. "He's on life support right now and...is in a coma...the blade tore open both of his lungs and shattered and severed his spine...even if he does wake up...he probably wouldn't be able to walk again."

She paused as she turned back to look through the doors. There they could see Lelouch still lying on the bed with an oxygen mask over his mouth and nose. There was also a thick bandage wrapped around his eyes. Other than that, there seemed to be nothing wrong with him.

"But...he looks fine..." Mami cried.

"He lost a lot of blood," Shamal said. "His brain wasn't receiving enough oxygen during the time you took to get here despite the oxygen mask. The only reason he didn't die out right was because Sayaka-chan was healing him. But not even magic can repair the damage to his brain or regenerate his spine..."

"So...what?" Sayaka asked as she slowly stood up. "You're saying he's going to sleep and be confined to that bed until he finally dies? How the hell is that being alive?"

"Would it have been better if he died then?" C.C. asked, turning to the blue haired girl. "Would it have been better if you stopped healing him and left him to die in the snow instead? Would it have been better to let Nanoha live knowing that Lelouch died to save her instead?"

Sayaka and Nanoha flinched at the words before Sayaka punched the wall in anger.

"What's the point of healing magic if I can't save anyone with it?" she demanded.

"Your magic is based around healing your own wounds," C.C. said. "Isn't it already amazing you could keep someone from death with it?"

"I'm sorry..."

"Hmm?"

C.C. turned to look at Nanoha who was staring down at the floor.

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry...I'm sorry..." she repeated over and over.

"Nanoha, look at me," C.C. said and the girl did.

SMACK!

Without warning, C.C. brought her hand across Nanoha's cheek, knocking her off her seat and onto the ground with a single slap.

"Nanoha!" Vita shouted as she knelt over her as Nanoha held a hand up to her quickly reddening cheek. "What the hell was that for, C.C.?"

"Stand up, Takamachi Nanoha," C.C. said, ignoring Vita. "Lelouch didn't save your life for you to wallow in self-pity. He made the choice between you and himself and he chose you. Would you rather be put in that position and have Lelouch feel what you're feeling now? That he failed you? Have him blame himself for putting you out on the field?"

"I..." Nanoha began, but she didn't seem to know what to say. C.C. simply sighed as she knelt down toward the girl.

"Let's put it a way you can understand. It is an adult's job to protect children. Not the other way around. Lelouch chose to save the twelve year old girl over the dying man. That is it."

"C.C.-san!" Shamal began but it was too late as Nanoha, Mami and Vita looked at C.C..

"Dying?" Mami repeated. "What do you mean C.C.-san?"

"Surely even you noticed it by now, Mami," C.C. said. "He's been coughing for weeks without stopping. He hasn't gone back to our world in months. He's passed down his throne to his sister. He's joined the TSAB and climbed the ranks so aggressively that most of the admirals and generals hate his guts for it. Does that not sound like the actions of a desperate and dying man?"

"He's...dying?" Vita asked before wheeling around to Shamal. "And _you_knew?"

"I am his physician..." Shamal said but didn't look at her fellow Knight. "I diagnosed him..."

"Let me rephrase that then. You knew...and you didn't think to tell any of us? Not even Hayate?"

"I had been ordered to remain silent about it and I couldn't break the Doctor-Patient Confidentiality."

"Then why does she know?"

"Because Lelouch told me," C.C. replied. "He told his siblings and his knights. So naturally I heard it. Jeremiah and Suzaku does too...therefore Sayaka knew as well."

Sayaka made no indication that she heard her name being called besides balling her fists even tighter.

"And you didn't tell me?" Mami asked as she turned to Sayaka.

"Lelouch didn't want anyone to know..." Sayaka replied. "For all we know, he was probably trying to kill himself today instead of just letting his disease do it...I'm still not sure if that would have been better than being reduced to...that..."

Lying in a bed unconscious with nothing waiting for you when you wake up besides being unable to move the lower half of your body ever again...

"The fact that he still is alive disproves that," Homura said. "Madoka's wish is still in effect remember."

"Wish...that's it!" Nanoha said. "What about Kyubey? What if we wished for him to be better?"

"Sure, that is a great idea," C.C. said, her voice filled with sarcastic venom. "Have him wake up to see that you removed your soul for his sake. Did you not hear me Nanoha? I said he's passed down his throne to Nunnally. That means in our world, he's officially dead. It's why he hasn't returned. They made their peace and he was planning to live out the rest of his days here. And if you remove your soul, there's no way to get it back in without Nunnally. Besides, knowing that little bastard he'd probably try to twist your wish someway if you say it like that. Maybe have it so it only heals Lelouch's illness while still leaving him in a coma or the other way around, revive him from his coma only to have him be awake for his last painful days."

"I was...only trying to help..." Nanoha said softly as she looked away.

"If you want to help then make sure Lelouch's sacrifice doesn't go to waste," C.C. said as she placed a hand on the younger girl's shoulder. Her tone was much kinder now as well. "Of course, helping take care of him so his last days are comfortable would be nice too. Then you could move on to helping me with Einhalt."

"I...I can do that..."

The Gray Witch nodded before continuing

"Well, I suppose you should let the others know what happened then. Kyouko, Madoka, Suzaku, Jeremiah, Fate, Yuuno, Arf, Hayate, Signum, Zafira..." She counted them off her fingers. "They'll be wanting to know what happened to him after all."

They all nodded slowly as they straightened themselves out.

"Good, now you all should go home and get cleaned up," Shamal said as she clapped her hands. "C.C.-san, can you help me move Lelouch-san to his room?"

The green haired woman nodded as they went back and wheeled Lelouch's bed out along with all the medical equipment needed to monitor his condition as the other girls left the Medical Ward.

* * *

Over the next two months, C.C. noted that things were difficult for all those involved.

A lot of curses, a long of rage, a lot of tears...

But things slowly fell into a pattern.

Everyone would take turns looking after him with the exception of Mami and Hayate, who came nearly everyday to help.

Jeremiah, who had opened up a small confectionery business to help pay the bills, would also come once a day to drop off snacks for the caretakers before heading back to work, saying that he couldn't bear to look at his lord in his current state and that he had to take care of Einhalt.

"He's always beating himself up over it," Mami said as she, Hayate and C.C. watched Jeremiah leave.

"Orange is probably Lelouch's most loyal follower," C.C. said, helping herself to a cupcake. "He's never once betrayed him since coming into his service."

"Even you, C.C.-san?" Hayate asked.

"Near the beginning when I didn't much care," C.C. replied. "I tried to break it off with him but he wouldn't let me leave...hmm, he's gotten better."

"Is he planning to retire and become Confectioner?" Mami asked as she picked one up too.

"That or work on an orange plantation," C.C. replied. "He hasn't told me what he's decided on but it might be safe to say that he is...though as a cadet, Hayate...are you sure it's okay to take so much time taking care of Lelouch? The last thing he would want is for you to fail your exams because of him."

"It's fine," Hayate replied. "I've already memorized enough of the material to pass. Besides, spending time with Lelouch-san right now is more important than that..."

The older woman frowned a bit as she looked toward the calender on the wall.

Lelouch's estimated time left was slowly dwindling down and his body was showing it. His pulse was getting weaker by the day as was his heart rate. C.C. was used to seeing people die before her, Mami had also had her parents die...but Hayate? She wondered if she should ask the hospital to ban her from visiting for the girl's own sake.

"Have you gotten any sleep at all?" Mami asked.

"I'm fine," Hayate repeated. "I can do this much at least..."

Mami looked over at C.C. who shook her head in response. There was no point arguing this. The girl was determined to spend Lelouch's last few moments with him.

Her mouth twitched involuntarily at the thought. If anyone should be doing this it should be Nunnally, but she is over there and only Lelouch can call find the Hikari Studio which allowed them to cross the border between Worlds. Which meant that she and Suzaku will be stuck over here. Oh well.

Her thoughts were broken when a monitor appeared beside Mami's head.

"_Mami, C.C., we have a problem_," Kururugi Suzaku said when his face appeared on screen.

"What happened?" Mami asked.

"_We've just got word that one of the Bureau's Lost Logia Storage Units has been attacked. Most of the inventory was destroyed but from the security footage, we know what the thief took..._"

"What did he take?" C.C. asked.

"_Here's the footage..."_

Suzaku's face disappeared, only to be replaced by a static and fuzzy video clip.

It showed a person...a man judging from the shape of his body, running down the corridor to a large vault before pulling out a strange device that he used to cut through the reinforced steel and barriers of the vault before slipping in. A few minutes later, several Bureau officers can be seen heading toward the vault only for the door to be hacked to pieces from something on the inside.

When the dust cleared, all the officers were lying on the ground with a white figure in a black cape standing over them. It turned its yellow eyes toward the camera before sending a blue shock wave at it, destroying it.

"That was...!" C.C. gasped as her eyes widened.

"_The Eternal Memory that Lelouch turned over at the 'request' of the Bureau,_" Suzaku replied with a nod. "_We have a rogue Kamen Rider on our hands._"

"Rogue...Kamen Rider?" Hayate repeated. "What does that mean?"

"That's not the question we should be asking," C.C. said. "Rather...what does he plan to do with..."

A loud explosion cut her off as an alarm started sounding throughout the hospital.

"_C.C.? What's going on over there?_" Suzaku asked as he tried to look to the side of his monitor.

"Sounds like an attack," C.C. said as she and Mami stood up from their seats while Hayate's grip tightened around Lelouch's hand.

"But what's the point?" Hayate asked. "This is a civilian hospital...!"

"With one very important patient..." Mami said as they all turned to Lelouch.

"But...Lelouch-san is already d-dying...! what's the point of attacking a hospital to try and kill him?"

"Some people would have people brought in front of them so they could see the person die in front of them to visually confirm their death," C.C. muttered as her thoughts raced. "It seems our dear Rogue wants to make absolutely sure Lelouch is out of the picture..."

"But why? What is he after?"

"We can ask him when we catch him, Hayate-chan," Mami said as her barrier jacket formed around her. "We need to stop him from getting here."

"I'll keep watch over Lelouch," C.C. said. "You two try to hold him off until help arrives."

"Got it," Hayate nodded as she took her device in her hand.

The two of them exited the room as C.C. walked back over to Lelouch and ran her hand down his face.

"I'm sorry," C.C. said. "But I need to do this."

Ignoring the screams of pain and the sounds of what seemed to be shattering glass, C.C. held Lelouch's hand in her own as the Code shined upon her head.

"I'm sorry..." C.C. said again. "For everything that will happen from now on. Hah...what's with me? I wasn't supposed to care..."

With that said, C.C. stood up and smiled as Eternal cut through the door with his knife. His cloak and dagger was stained with blood and C.C. had the smallest of thoughts that none of it was his own.

"Stand aside," the Rider ordered.

"Sorry, but no can do," C.C. replied as she held her arms out. "This man is the man of miracles after all. I won't let you kill him"

"Then we have a problem. One that I will fix right now."

It was if the man was moving in slow motion. She watched him flip the knife around in his hands as if he had been using it all his life. Such was the power of the Kamen Rider armors.

She watched as he brought it diagonally upward from his waist to his right shoulder, shooting a blue shock wave at her. She felt it cut into her skin as she was thrown off her feet and through the window behind her.

But the smile remained on her face.

For this will be the last time she will feel this pain.

* * *

"Now then..." Eternal said as he heard a wet thud come from the window. "Time to make sure you are dead for real."

Flipping the dagger around so that the blade was pointed down in his grip he plunged the blade into Lelouch's chest, causing blood to splatter into the breath mask and all the monitor machines around him to flat line.

"Hmm," Eternal huffed as he pulled the blade out and then in a flash, plunged it into the man's skull as well. He then extracted the blade and threw the blood off with a flick of his wrist. "There are no such things as miracles after all."

Spinning on his heel, he turned and left the room without another word, not even bothering to look down at Mami as she crawled into the room.

She had one hand over her stomach, holding a wound that was bleeding profusely. She hated herself. She couldn't even last one minute against the Evil Rider. He had cut through her shots as if they were made out of paper before grabbing Hayate and throwing her through the wall and stabbed her in the stomach and left her to bleed out.

"L...Lelouch...san..." she groaned as she tried to get up to him, ignoring the constant beep coming from the machines. "Please...Lelouch...san! You can't...be dead! You can't be dead!"

She managed to pull herself up onto his bed, only to see the cruel scene in front of her.

The man who saved her and the man she grew to love with a hole in his heart and his forehead.

"No...no no no!" she wailed as she gripped his hand. "Lelouch-san! Open your eyes please! You can't...you can't die! You can't leave me as well! Please! Please...please...no..."

She felt her body fall limp as her head fell down against Lelouch's chest. She struggled to lift it up as tears fell out of her eyes and blood flowed from her mouth.

"Please...wake up...I never had to say it...all those times you had to leave...I never said it because I knew you would always come back. So please...don't make me say it now...don't make me say goodbye now! Lelouch-san...please...don't die! Live!"

But it was impossible.

There was no way to survive being stabbed in both the heart and the brain. Even if he was twitching slightly, it was probably only a death reflex...

"Huh?"

Mami blinked to clear her eyes of tears. The monitoring equipment started beeping again and the blood flowing from Lelouch's chest had suddenly stopped. He couldn't have bled out already. Running a hand over his chest...she couldn't feel a wound.

"What is...?" she asked as she felt his fingers twitch again. "Lelouch-san?"

She saw it clearly this time. His face began to twitch as if he was waking up.

"Lelouch-san? Lelouch-san! Koff..."

She tried to stay awake but the pain and loss of blood was making it difficult for her.

She fell towards the floor but Lelouch's hand shot forward and grabbed her just before she hit the floor, allowing her to softly lie down instead.

Looking back up, her vision was a little blurry, but she could see Lelouch slowly sit up from his bed, rubbing a hand over his chest and forehead before pulling off the wires connected to the machines. Holding a hand above her, she saw a black Mid-Childan circle appear below her before he staggered out into the hallway while her wounds started to heal.

"Lelouch...san..." Mami tried to call out to him but he was already gone.

* * *

"_Hayate-chan! Hayate-chan!_"

Hayate stirred as she pushed herself up from the ground, wincing a bit as she felt glass below her hands and legs.

"Rein?" she asked as she looked around. "What happened?"

"_We got beat bad_," her unison device replied. "_Oh no! Here he comes again!_"

Hayate flipped her body over to see Eternal strolling out of the hospital, seemingly without a care in the world. He paused when he noticed her and ran his hand across the lower side of his helmet.

"The Mistress of the Night Sky..." Eternal said. "You might pose a problem later on...might as well deal with you as well."

But as soon as he took a step toward her, several shots rang out in the air, striking him in the back and causing him to stagger forward.

"What?" Eternal turned toward the direction he was shot from, only to see Lelouch walking toward him, his entire body drenched in blood. "That's...impossible!"

"Lelouch-san!" Hayate screamed but the man wasn't listening as the Ride Booker opened up despite being in gun mode.

With a flick of his wrist, a single card shot out and landed perfectly into the Decadriver.

[_KAMEN RIDE!_]

"Henshin..." Lelouch said as the two ends slammed themselves together.

[_DECADE_!]

Nine digital shadows shot out as he continued walking towards them. The shadows slammed into his body, creating a black and white Decade armor around his body before ten long bars shot out from the Decadriver and attached themselves to his helmet, causing a pink color scheme to light up the armor and for the his visor to turn green and the small gem on his crown to shine yellow.

"Decade!" Eternal snarled as the other Rider ran forward and slashed down at Eternal as the white Rider raised his dagger to block the hit and force Decade into a pillar.

Eternal then tried to follow it up by slashing Decade but Decade countered by slashing him across the chest and stepping past him.

The two of them stood with their backs toward the other for a second before Decade spun around and tried to stab him but Eternal knocked the blade down with his dagger. Both Riders took a step back from the other and after another second clashed again, their blades locking as they were right in each other's faces.

"How?" Eternal demanded. "I cut your heart and brain myself. How are you still alive? Answer me! What the hell are you?"

"A passing through Kamen Rider..." Decade replied. "Remember that."

Eternal's arm was bathed in blue flame as he forced Decade to the side again, causing him to roll across the ground. Eternal ran after him but Decade threw a kick at his chest to knock him back, giving himself time to stand back up and slash Eternal as the Rider attempted another attack, leaving them with their backs toward each other again.

The two of them spun around at the same time but Decade was faster and managed to slash Eternal across the chest yet again before sticking his blade into the small indent on Eternal's dagger and with a small grunt, forced it out of Eternal's hand.

"Impossible!" Eternal breathed as a card flew out of the blade and into the Decadriver.

[_ATTACK RIDE! SLASH!_]

Decade's blade was bathed in a pink light as he slashed Eternal across the chest, sending him flying through the air before landing in a heap on the ground. Without missing a beat, Decade threw up another card and it landed inside the Decadriver.

[_FINAL ATTACK RIDE! DE-DE-DE-DECADE!_]

Nine cards shot out of the Decadriver in a straight line toward the Dark Rider as he struggled to push himself back up.

With a pull of the trigger, a pink bolt shot out toward Eternal and exploded around him.

"Decade-san..." Hayate gasped as the dust cleared, only to reveal a giant hole in the ground leading toward the underground sewers. "No...he escaped..."

"Are you okay?" Decade asked as he turned toward her.

"Eh...uh...yes..." Hayate nodded.

"I see...good...that's...good..."

With that, Decade's armor vanished, leaving behind the still bloody Lelouch as he fell onto his knees and face first onto the ground.

"Lelouch-san!" Hayate screamed as she pulled herself up and limped her way toward Lelouch. "Get a hold of yourself! Lelouch-san!"

She flipped his body over and ran her hand across his chest but she didn't feel any cuts or wounds.

"No injuries? But where did all this blood come from?"

"Hayate-chan!"

Hayate looked up to see Mami heading towards them, with her sleeves and front completely bloody.

"Mami-san! Are you okay?"

"Never mind me," the blonde said quickly. "What about Lelouch-san?"

"I...I don't know. I don't see any wounds but he's not waking up. Where did all this blood come from? Where's C.C.-san? Maybe she knows?"

"I don't know," Mami replied. "I saw her get thrown from the window but..."

"You're not going to get anything out of Big Sis anymore..." a voice said causing them to look up.

"Kiva-la?" Hayate asked. "What do you mean?"

"Big Sis hit her head on the ground and isn't waking up...she's over there."

"Gaargh...!" Lelouch let out a sharp gasp, causing the women to jump as they turned toward him.

"Lelouch-san!"

"C.C." he breathed. "Get me to...C.C!"

"But Lelouch-san, you're..."

"Now!"

Hayate flinched as she looked towards Mami who nodded. The pulled the man up to his feet and supported him as they followed Kiva-la to where C.C. was lying in the snow, blood splattered around her like blood red wings.

"C.C.-san?" Hayate asked. "Shouldn't she be getting up now?"

Lelouch, however threw himself off of them and stumbled his way towards C.C. before dropping to his knees beside her and clutching her hand.

* * *

"C.C.!" Lelouch roared as he found himself in the World of C.

There, the woman in front of him turned around.

"Oh, I didn't think I'd see you again so soon, Lelouch," C.C. replied.

"C.C..." Lelouch began. "Why?"

"Because it's better for an adult to die instead of a child, isn't it, Boya?"

"Don't give me that!"

"What? You don't appreciate your own logic being used against you?"

Lelouch's eyes flared as he turned his head away from her.

"C.C..."

"You need to get it through your head that you are important, Lelouch," C.C. interrupted. "Not just for the sake of the Bureau, but for the women around you too. What would have happened to Hayate and Mami if you died?"

Lelouch didn't answer as he clenched his teeth and balled his fists.

"More importantly, you need to keep your promise to me," C.C. said as she walked forward and wrapped her arms around her neck. "This is your punishment. For all the evils you have committed, you will live as an Immortal. For all the lives you have taken, both evil and innocent, you will live your lives out instead. There is no punishment more suitable than that, is there?"

"No..." Lelouch admitted. "A coma or death would be too easy...but...you...you are going to leave me as well?"

He finally turned his head back up so he could look her in the eyes.

"First Euphie...then Shirley...and now you as well..."

"Such is the life of the Immortal...the last Immortal..."

"C.C..."

"Why are you so sad? I'm not, look, see this smile? You kept your promise Lelouch. Take pride in that. One of many you no doubt thought you wouldn't be able to keep."

"But...my plan..."

"Yes, your plan. You planned to die from your injuries, and you did. When Eternal stabbed you, thus allowing the Code to transfer from me to you. Just like all your other plans, Lelouch. It doesn't go the way you think it will go."

"C.C...don't leave. Don't leave me as well..."

"You still have Jeremiah and Suzaku. Granted, two men isn't quite the same as a beautiful woman like me...sorry about that."

"Please...no..."

"It's too late for that..."

Looking down, Lelouch saw what she was talking about. Like his parents, C.C's body was slowly being dissolved by the World.

"The dead can't stay for long after all," C.C. said.

Lelouch refused to let her go as he grabbed her and pulled her into a hug.

"Please...don't go..."

"I'm sorry...Lelouch...my Demon King."

And then, he fell forward onto his knees, the blue lights scattering across the world around him.

She was gone. His first true ally and companion was dead. Something he thought would never happen in years. Something he failed to take into account for when planning his own death.

C.C. took advantage of it and passed on the Code to him just before he was killed.

"Huh...huhuahahaha..."

A dark laugh somehow escaped his lips.

"Hahahahahahahaha!"

He couldn't help it. All he could do was laugh as he stared up at the false representation of Jupiter above him.

It was an empty and hollow laugh that seemed to echo back at him from all across the World of C.

He had no one to blame for it. There was no one to blame for it.

It was C.C.'s choice. Her wish that he had promised her so long ago.

She had told him from the very beginning after all.

"_Those who wield the Power of Kings shall forever stand alone._"

"Lelouch-san..."

A soft voice called out to him, ceasing his laughter..

This was the World of C. He didn't need to turn around to know who it was. There was only one other person who it could be.

"Madoka..." he said simply.

"Umm..." the avatar of "God" or the collective consciousness of mankind began. "I know this wasn't how you have planned it...but um..."

"One can communicate with the dead in this world, correct?" Lelouch asked as he stood up and ignored her. From his tone of voice, no one would have suspected he had been so emotional seconds before.

"Well...yes but..."

"That's all I needed to hear. I won't ever use it, but it may be useful to someone else in the future."

"Lelouch-san...I know it won't make things better...but I can adjust your Code just a little bit. It won't take away the immortality that comes with it...but it may help you later on."

"Is that right?" Lelouch asked. "Thank you for that then. Where's the exit?"

"Where would you want it?"

"In front of me."

As he spoke, he saw the silver curtain appear in front of him. Without saying another word, he walked right through the curtain, but not before he heard Madoka say ever so softly, "I'm sorry..."

* * *

Back in the real world, he found himself still kneeling over C.C.'s body. He stood up and looked up into the sky.

"Lelouch-san?" Hayate called out softly from behind him. "Are you..."

She cut herself off. She knew the answer to that foolish question.

Was he hurt? Was he okay? It could have been either of those questions but the answer was the same.

He had lost one of his friends and was out in the cold wearing nothing but bloodied pajamas with his shirt torn open.

"Was anyone else hurt?" he asked.

"A lot of the staff was injured trying to stop Eternal," Mami replied. "However...no one else is dead."

"A small blessing then...that's good..." Lelouch muttered as he waved his hand over his eyes. "Hmm? What happened to the contacts?"

"Shamal removed them during your surgery," Hayate explained. "That's why you had a bandage over your eyes..."

"I see...well...with the Code, I won't be needing them anymore anyway."

"Then...your Geass is...?" Mami asked as Lelouch turned around, revealing a pair of clear violet eyes.

"Give me your communicator, Mami," Lelouch said as he held his hand out. "As the highest ranking officer on site, I need to take command."

"Y-yes sir...General," Mami said slowly as she held her communicator out to him.

"General?" Lelouch repeated.

"The...higher ups were a little...eager in awarding you your postmortem promotion, Lelouch-san," Mami explained. "You are now a Brigadier General."

Lelouch blinked for a moment as he took in the information.

"Hu...huahaha...huahahahaha!"

He suddenly let out a laugh as he placed a hand over his eyes.

"As usual...once you hit rock bottom, you can only go up," he said as his lips twisted into a feral smile. He then took the communicator from Mami and turned it on to all frequencies.

"This is Brigadier General Lelouch Lamperouge to all TSAB forces in the area. Cranagan Memorial Hospital has been assaulted by an unidentified assailant and several of the personnel are injured. Damage to the hospital's systems are at this moment unknown but due to the urgency, I hereby order all available relief squads to deploy and extract the patients and wounded that can be moved immediately."

With that, he turned off the communicator and sighed before looking down at C.C.'s body.

"What...do we do about...?" Hayate began as she held onto his sleeve.

"For now...we leave it. Focus on saving those we can...leave the dead."

That's right...there was no helping her now.

He was alive and she wasn't.

He needs to continue to save and help people if he is to make this sacrifice worth it.

* * *

She didn't understand what was going on.

The kind man that wasn't Father was walking back and forth on the other side of the bars and was saying things she didn't understand.

He looked afraid. But it wasn't dark out and he could see, so what was there to be afraid of? Was it something that couldn't be seen that was scary?

She hugged the yellow thing that Mother gave her in worry. It was soft and warm and smelled like Mother and her favorite food

Then, the noise of one of the wall that kept her inside this place opened and closed, causing the man that wasn't Father to stop and turn toward the noise.

Then she saw Father walk in, causing the man that wasn't Father stop moving for a moment before running up to him. The man that wasn't Father pressed a hand against his own head and said something to Father before wrapping his arms around him.

When he finally put Father back down, he asked him something but Father didn't reply.

He asked him again, slower this time and Father replied.

The man that wasn't Father went still as he stared at Father.

He repeated what Father said back to him but Father didn't appear to have heard as he asked him something else.

The man that wasn't Father turned to look at her and Father did the same as he walked over to her.

Did he want something?

He didn't bend down and pick her up like Mother or the women that weren't Mother often did. He simply looked at her.

She looked at the yellow thing she was holding and wondered if he wanted to hug it as well so she held it up to him...only for his eyes to widen slightly and his mouth to thin. He looks as if he's about to cry.

Did she do something wrong?

She leaned to look past Father toward the man who wasn't Father.

He was still where he was before, with one hand against the wall.

She then turned to look back at Father.

Father was here, but where was Mother?

She looked around but couldn't see her.

So she opened her mouth.

* * *

"Mah...sa...?"

Jeremiah snapped out of his daze as his head snapped toward the noise coming from Princess Einhalt's crib in shock.

"My...lord?" he asked slowly as he forced his body to move toward his emperor.

The young man's expression was a mixture of pain and shock as he stared at his daughter. His eyes were wide open, his pupils were contracted, his jaw hung open and was shaking.

"Mah...sa...?" Lady Einhalt asked again.

Mother.

She was trying to say "Mother."

Her first words...and she was calling for her mother.

One that is no longer here.

His lord suddenly lowered the bars of the crib and wrapped his arms around the girl, his entire body shaking as he hugged her.

"I'm sorry..." he said as his grip tightened. "I'm sorry...I'm sorry...I'm sorry..."

But the girl simply looked at him before turning to Jeremiah over her father shoulder letting Jeremiah see her face.

The face of a confused one year old who doesn't understand what has happened.

* * *

Lelouch sat down at his desk and looked around the empty room.

It was a few days after the encounter with Eternal, his own miraculous recovery in the public eye, and his daughter's first word.

Eternal's successful theft of the Lost Driver and Eternal Memory from the TSAB Lost Logia storage had caused quite the stir as the man had made it all the way in undetected and then blasted his way out as if to make a statement.

Most likely it was to show that the TSAB was weak. That doesn't explain why Eternal specifically targeted the hospital to kill him.

"Is he working with the target...?" Lelouch mumbled. "Or does he see me as a threat? I'm not sure which one is worse...the second one is flattering though. At least someone takes me seriously. A shame that he's made himself an enemy."

With Lelouch's promotion to Brigadier General, he can now formerly create the unit he's wanted from the start. A military branch of the TSAB that will deal with problems of all scales. Military, political, civilian...he would be able to deal with all of them without being bagged down by the fools up top, specifically one Lieutenant General Regius Gaiz of the Capital Defense Corps who had been his direct superior while he was a colonel.

"For a man so concerned about defense, he sure doesn't act like it," Lelouch said to himself. "It's not like I have a criminal record...does he see my association with Hayate and Fate to be a red mark? Heh...that bloody hypocrite..."

He sighed as he rubbed his eyes. He was so used to wearing his contacts at every waking moment that his eyes felt so light and exposed without them.

"Hah..." he sighed again as he turned toward the blank screens behind him. "I guess I'm going to have to get used to not using Geass ever again...well, I suppose this way I won't ever be tempted to use it and Suzaku will stop bothering me whenever I do...even though it's brought me so much pain...I'd still rather have it then not...what?"

He blinked once and stared at his reflection on the screen.

He blinked again before standing up and placing a hand on the screen.

"Is...this real? How come I never noticed until now? Wait, how is this even possible? It should have...Madoka...this is what she meant...? Huu...hahaha...hahahahaha...what a splendid gift my goddess...this Code...no, this Code Geass..."

He was interrupted by a familiar knock on the door.

"Come in...Signum," he said as he closed his eyes quickly and opened them again to see his violet eyes reflected back at him before he turned around to face the Flame Knight.

"Lamperouge..." Signum said as she walked in. "How did you know it was me?"

"You knock once," Lelouch replied. "Mami knocks three times when she wants to come in. Homura, Suzaku and Jeremiah calls my name through the door. Madoka knocks twice and everyone that ever visits me else comes in without warning."

"I see your mind has already returned...this place looks a lot bigger without your things."

"I've noticed..." Lelouch nodded. "Come to see me off? Or were you worried about something?"

"For someone who has suffered the trauma of his own death for the first time...you seem to be taking it well," Signum said as she looked him over.

"Would you rather I constantly kill myself in a fit of insanity then?" Lelouch asked as he raised an eyebrow. "There is no point in doing anything but raising Einhalt and work on catching Eternal right now. With my new rank, I can authorize my own missions and create my own forces. That bastard can't hide from me..."

"And...the other problem?" Signum asked.

"The Code won't be going anywhere," Lelouch replied, pulling down his collar slightly, revealing his Code. "As far as the Bureau knows, C.C. performed some ritual from our Earth and gave her life to heal me. Only the people who knew what C.C. really was knows the truth, and I expect it to remain that way, understood?"

"Of course. I have no reason to say anything about that to anyone."

"Then that brings us back to the matter at hand. Why are you here?"

"Your Code..." Signum began. "You're an Immortal now...correct?"

"That's right," Lelouch nodded. "Just like C.C. was."

The "was" left a bad taste in his mouth as he narrowed his eyes.

"Why do you ask?" he continued.

"There is a matter I wish to discuss with you relating to that," Signum replied. "It deals with the Wolkenritter and the Tome of the Night Sky."

"Does it now?" Lelouch asked as an eyebrow shot up to his bangs. "And what is there to discuss? Is the corruption coming back after all?"

"No...it's about what will happen in the far future."

"In the far...Signum...what are you suggesting?"

"I know you, Lamperouge," Signum said as she pointed a finger at him. "You are the type to bear his burdens alone. I will not let you distance yourself from the others like you did when you were ill."

"So what?" Lelouch asked as his eyes narrowed at her. "You wish me to spend my time among people who will die centuries before my time arrives? You expect me to watch as everyone around me grows old and leave me behind?"

"Not...everyone," Signum replied unflinchingly.

Again, Lelouch raised an eyebrow at her.

"What are you..." Lelouch began before his eyes widened slightly. "Signum...you're not saying..."

"Though it is distasteful to think about my Mistress in such a way...she will eventually die someday," Signum said as she placed a hand over her heart. "And there is a chance we Wolkenritter will disappear along with her if what Shamal thinks is true. However...on the chance that our lives are not completely tied to Hayate...the Knights of the Night Sky will need a new master."

"Signum..."

"Should that time come to pass...Lelouch Lamperouge...would you take the Tome for yourself?"

Lelouch stared at the female knight in shock. He had not considered that possibility. But even then...it was only a possibility with no guarantee...normally anyway.

"You are expecting me to suffer through a lot for a mere possibility, Signum," Lelouch said.

"You will suffer through it regardless," Signum countered. "The only difference is how much regret you will feel at the end."

"Heh..." Lelouch sighed with a small smile. "Since when were you so good at talking?"

"Unlike you, I've had decades of practice. Well? What is your answer."

"I suppose...that I will look forward to our future partner ship...Miss Flame Knight."

"And I as well...Mister Demon Lord."

And with that, Signum left him along with nothing but his thoughts to tide him over.

He toyed with the idea of being an immortal king with a small band of immortal knights with him for a moment before waving the thought away and pulling out a stack of forms from an envelope.

The funeral preparations weren't going to do themselves after all...

* * *

Author's End Corner

**Harouki**: Are you lot happy now? Here's your god damn first chapter.

**CC:** You killed me...

**Harouki: **That's right but hang around for a bit. You'll be around in flashbacks and the like.

**Lelouch**: Code Geass?

**Harouki**: Yeap. Anyone who doesn't like it can close the tab/window and not come back. StrikerS will contain slight to a lot of deviations from cannon what with so many characters added to the storyline. I will say this at the start! I intend to have Subaru, Homura and Nove all in the same scene and kicking ass if it's the last thing I do!

Next chapter will probably not be coming soon. I'm more interested in Persona/Madoka right now and if one person asks about this fic again, I will block you. I don't even understand why you want more of this to be honest. I look back on it and I see one of the most controverted crossover I've ever seen. I change my mind halfway through the story and run with it. I have half a mind to just place a crap chapter out and see all the praises come in to see if anyone is really serious.

I've even changed most of the events I had planned and rendered previous things non-canon. Hell, I'll blame the Parallel Worlds and Time Loops. I really don't care anymore. Take your damn chapter and sit on your hands _SILENTLY _hoping for another one because I'm focusing on Persona/Madoka right now.

Good day to you all.

**At the end of the page, the current date will be the Ninth Month of the 68th year on the new Mid-Childan Calender. 2 years and five months have passed since the end of CMLR proper.**


	2. Chapter 2: Black Beginnings

**Chapter 2: Black Beginnings**

* * *

No matter how strong someone was, one cannot accomplish anything alone.

The enemy he was up against controlled worlds, therefore he needed an army.

Which was why he was here now, in the middle of a secret base hidden deep below the planet's crust after climbing down the valley using nothing but his bare hands and a few dozen pounds of mountain climbing equipment.

In retrospect, he probably should have sent some kind of greeting out to let them know he was coming. It might have caused them to pick up shop and leave but on the other hand...

It may have been better than to have dozens of drones spilling out of the woodwork in an attempt to neutralize the intruder. He might have been in trouble had he not been able to punch through their armor as if it was made out of paper instead of reinforced steel.

Of course, the fact that they were all shooting at him with beams that can also pierce through steel, and by extension his body, in one shot was a bit annoying as well.

No sooner had he thought that, the drones and fire stopped coming.

"They stopped?" he wondered just before turning around to look back down the path he was currently heading and lean backwards.

A large glowing energy blade slashed through the air in front of him, nearly singing the fabric covering his face as well as his nose. Above that, he spotted several black daggers in the air all pointing down at him for a moment before launching themselves toward him.

He placed an arm on the floor and used it to flip himself back, just before the daggers hit the ground and exploded.

"Who are you?" a female voice asked from the smoke. "How did you find this place."

"Finally, a welcoming committee that can actually communicate," he said as he stood up.

As the smoke cleared, he saw a tall woman with short purple hair with two energy wings sprouting from each arm and leg as well as a smaller girl with long white hair with an eye patch over her right eye wearing a heavy coat.

"Answer me," the taller woman demanded.

"Hmm...I wouldn't say I so much found this place as I would that I was told its location," he replied as he rubbed his chin. "The source was anonymous saying that the group hiding here would be useful. As for who I am...I believe you know the answer."

"What was that?" the shorter girl asked as he pulled out a white USB and held it out toward the two.

"A Kamen Rider," he replied as he pressed the button on the device, allowing a red belt to appear over his waist.

[_ETERNAL!_]

"Henshin."

He thrust the device into the belt, letting it cry out [_ETERNAL_!] once more as a golden E appeared in front of him and pushed the slot out to the right, causing several blue fragments and streaks of blue lightning to shoot out and collect on his body, forming a white armor with bright light blue flames designed over his arms and ankles.

"Tre...that's the one who broke into one of the TSAB vaults," the smaller girl said quickly.

"A thief that can give Sein a run for her money, huh?" Tre asked as she braced herself for an attack.

"No worries," Eternal said as he held his hands up form under his cape, showing them empty. "I'm not here to fight. Not unless you make me. I'm just here to talk with Unlimited Desire."

"Why?"

"I seek a partnership. Throughout the stars are several things that the Time-Space Administration Bureau has secretly cordoned off due to their so called inherently dangerous natures. I wish to break through their blockades and reach those areas."

"You want the doctor's help to break a military blockade?" the smaller girl asked.

"Of course not, I already have plans to break it without needing his help. What I wish is for _after_ I break through the blockade and return."

"And that is?"

"I understand that Unlimited Desire, for lack of a better word, desires power. What if I were to tell you, that there is an entire race of beings out there that can annihilate an entire unit of mages with only five of their number in a frontal assault...and all without magic themselves?"

"I'd say that you're lying," Tre replied bluntly, causing Eternal to chuckle.

"Yes, I didn't really believe it myself at first...but they _are_ there. Trapped on their planet after having been bombarded from orbit and slowly dying out. I intend to save them and get them to work with me to pursue _my_ goals."

"And those are?"

Eternal smiled under his mask. Even if he did not get what he wanted today, the seeds have been planted and no matter how long it would take, they will sprout.

"Don't you want to see it?" Eternal asked as he raised an arm out toward the women but he wasn't talking to them. "See what happens when your Unlimited Desire joins with my Eternity?

* * *

Homura walked down the hallway of the base, looking around as people were running back and forth with various tools and equipment as they were setting up their new base, home of the newly created 501st Battalion.

She was wearing a brand new TSAB uniform, a black one with silver shoulders for the new ground force that Lelouch was now in charge off. Thinking about how she was now working a job that actually had her taking orders from Lelouch caused her to look down at her hands.

She thought back to how it all began. How she first met Suzaku as Kamen Rider Ixa after Mami had led Sayaka and Madoka on their first Witch hunt only to foolishly leave them behind in a one way corridor without anything protect them from behind when the White Knight suddenly appeared and shot the familiar that would have killed them before she could.

Such a glaring and unique inconsistency had never occurred before...or at least, not one as helpful as that one was. She was glad that Suzaku had decided to use the same amazingly unique bike to travel around normally without regard to his identity.

And it allowed her to meet Lelouch.

She cared for the man, certainly, but not on the same level of adoration that Mami gave him and what Sayaka gave Suzaku and certainly not the same admiration that Hayate gave the man, but she cared for him nonetheless, as the man gave her back a future. Not that she'd ever admit it to his face.

Especially not when that man was currently setting up a large screen behind his desk with a baby strapped to the back of his back.

Homura let out a small polite cough to let him know she was there, causing him to turn around and look at her.

"Ah, Homura," Lelouch nodded. "Just give me a few more...there, got it."

"Why are you wearing Einhalt on your back?" she asked as the screens sprung to life at once,giving a picture perfect view of the outside sunshine.

"Keeps her from wailing," he said as he carefully slipped her off his back and sat down with her on his lap. "She seems to be having nightmares every night and wakes up crying, but whenever I'm holding her, she just fidgets and groans but doesn't cry. The Cheese-kun plushy helps to calm her down as well but its a 50-50 thing."

Sure enough, as Lelouch was talking to her, she noted Einhalt's face scrunched up as her left hand reached out and grabbed Lelouch's shirt.

"A baby sitter is out of the question?" Homura asked.

"Of course it is," Lelouch replied immediately as his console booted up. "The only people I trust work as many hours as I do and I'm not going to pawn off a child that seems to cry whenever I'm not around on them. Mami helps out often enough anyway."

Homura nodded in reply. The girl had become Lelouch's secretary after all.

"In any case, you're probably wondering why I've called you here," Lelouch said as the monitors behind him changed from the day outside to the profile of two men. "Tiida Lanster and Vice Granscenic. Lanster is a member of the Capital Air Force holding the rank of Captain stationed in Cranagan and Granscenic is a Sniper of the 1039th Squadron also of the Capital Air Force with the rank of Sergeant."

"Fascinating," Homura said in a deadpan. "Is there a reason I should know this?"

"These two shall be part of your new squad."

"What."

"You heard me," Lelouch nodded. "I know that you prefer to go things alone...I _know _you've been doing that for so long that I'm surprised you remember anything of your life past the loops, however I'm not very pleased at your track record for solo ops."

She glared at him. He took no heed.

"And so, I'm putting you into a squad. I'm sure you'll find them tolerable enough. The second reason I've called you here is for your device."

"My...device?" Homura repeated.

"We are a 'lawful' Battalion here," Lelouch replied. "I can't have someone so visibly connected to me so obviously use banned mass weaponry out on the field. I've contracted a company by the name of Caledfwlch Techniques to produce devices for our Battalion."

"And by...'contracted' you mean you bought them out...right?"

"As such," Lelouch continued without comment as he pulled a stack of papers out of his desk and held them out to her. "You are to fill out these forms and then hand them in to our liaison, Rose Sorento, in room 303 to acquire your custom device."

"Curiously, what exactly do you need devices made for?" Homura asked as she took the forms. "Don't we have enough mass production ones already?"

"The standard low end storage devices are worthless against the enemy we will be facing. Though the price will be high, I intend to equip solider under my command with a Boost or Armed Device at the very least. Intelligent Devices are nice, but quite frankly impossible to equip an army with. I don't need to spend years matching each device to their preferred master."

Homura simply nodded, knowing how her friend unconsciously enjoys the sound of his own voice.

"In any case, I don't really particularly mind whether or not you choose an armed or an intelligent device," Lelouch continued. "All that matters is that you actually get one so you don't have to rely on your handguns, grenades and other technically illegal items."

"I understand," Homura nodded as she flipped through the forms in her hands. "Are you having the others get one as well?"

"Of course. Magic that won't slightly expend your soul will be better and I'm sure everyone is creative enough to come up with spells similar to their original magic."

"But you'd rather I continue using my own?"

"Number 1: Only Suzaku and I have been able to beat you in a straight up fight with your Incubator magic," Lelouch replied, holding a finger up. "Number 2: Out on the field it is the most valuable asset you have. Number 3: Your entire fighting style falls around that ability doesn't it? It will hamper your overall usefulness if you limit yourself from using it."

"Very well," Homura sighed, just wanting to get out now. "Is there anything else?"

"Just one thing," Lelouch said as he sat Einhalt up, allowing Homura to notice several things about the girl as she leaned her head back; one of which was that she was now awake. "It seems I have a very important emergency that needs to be taken care of immediately that I detest to do alone. Can you help me change her..."

But the next thing Lelouch knew, Homura had vanished without him even hearing the door open.

"A simple 'no' would have sufficed!" he shouted after her as Einhalt started crying. Tilting his head from the foul smell, he let out a small sigh, "Ah, bloody hell..."

* * *

After filling out and submitting the forms, Homura was surprised to be called back to the base after barely a week. It appears that whoever was creating her device worked quickly and that was probably why Lelouch hired her.

"Let's see...room 303..." Homura muttered as she walked down the halls for a few minutes before coming across the correct room and knocked on the door.

"Yes, please come in!" came a voice, probably Rose Sorento.

The door opened up and Homura took a step inside...only to find the room littered with various mechanical devices, physical and digital forms, pieces of scrap metal, a coffee maker, several discarded snack bags...and for some reason...a sleeping bag tucked in the corner of the room.

"Are...you living in here?" Homura couldn't help but ask.

"Oh no, I just sleep here most of the time when I get caught up in my work, Rose said as she walked up to Homura. She was a bit taller than Homura with blonde hair and a pair of thick black rimmed glasses over her eyes. "I'm Rose Sorento, it's a pleasure to meet you, Warrant Officer Akemi."

Rose stuck her hand out to Homura who looked at it for a moment before accepting it.

"You have my device?" Homura asked, wanting to get straight to the point.

"Indeed I do," Rose nodded as she beckoned Homura over to her desk where she pulled out a small case and opened it on top of her desk. "Here it is."

Inside was a small black ring with a purple gem planted in the middle. Homura picked it up and looked it over carefully.

"The Intelligent Device Edge Blazer," Rose explained. "As per your request, we provided it with three forms. Slasher Form for close combat, Blaster Form for ranged combat, and Buster Form for long range bombardment. Slasher Form will be its default form."

Homura nodded in understanding as she activated the device.

[_Good morning, Ma'am!_]

A small light began to shine from the ring before it suddenly transformed into black pistol with a purple gem embedded just above the grip in her right hand and a short sword in her left hand with a similar gem in the pommel.

"Edge Blazer...Form Change: Blaster," Homura ordered.

[_Yes Ma'am! Change Blaster_!] came a male voice as the dagger and pistol vanished and was replaced with a long black rifle with a jagged edge under the barrel.

"Edge Blazer...Form Change: Buster."

[_Change Buster_!]

Another affirmation as the device transformed into a long sleek black cannon which was as wide as her own torso and about as long as she was tall. There were two grips for her to hold, one on top of it to steady the weapon and one on the side to house it up and fire it. The purple gem, which she guessed was probably the base of the device, sat at the back of the launcher away from the barrel.

"Is the device satisfactory?" Rose asked.

"It is," Homura replied as Edge Blazer reverted back into its Standby Mode and she slipped the ring onto her finger next to her Soul Gem.

"Excellent," Rose clapped her hands together as the large screen behind her suddenly sprung to life with several diagrams of what Homura could only assume to be Edge Blazer. "Now onto the specifics. Unlike standard Shooting Devices, this device is using an experimental system that creates the shots within the barrel that can be launched out in a straight line. It sacrifices the variability of each shot but increases the power and speed."

Homura nodded in understanding during the pause as Rose began detailing the various forms of her new Device.

"Slasher Form contains two different modes as you can tell, a sword and a pistol. It's defaulted to have one of each but you can change it so you can have two swords at once or two pistols at once. Blaster Form has three different shooting modes as well. Spread Mode which fires a spread of shots, Sniping Mode for precision, and Standard Mode for three round bursts. Buster Form has two modes of firing as well. Gatling Mode for a constant stream of shots and Razing Mode, which fires a single devastating shot instead. Razing Mode uses the standard shooting style in that you must charge up or gather the magical energy first before firing."

Homura nodded again as she Rose handed her a data pad containing all the relevant information on using her device, aka a manual.

"If you don't mind me asking, it seems that most of your device's properties were based off of mass weaponry from your home world. Any particular reason why?"

"It makes it feel familiar," Homura replied, transforming the ring into a single pistol in her hand. "Does it not have a Barrier Jacket or Guardian Armor installed?"

"I believe that General Lamperouge said that you are to come up with your own design," Rose replied, pushing her glasses up slightly. "Caledfwlch Techniques is working alongside the General and is currently attempting to come up with a standardized armor to outfit the entire Battalion. Process has been...slow going at best."

"Describe... 'slow going,'" Homura said, thinking of just coming up with a Barrier Jacket similar to her Puella outfit...or ask Madoka for help.

"The General wishes for an armor that would not only protect from spells, but also against mass weaponry. Which means that the armor is actually...well...armor. Metal plates and all."

"So what exactly is the problem."

"Well...opening designs were weak at best and the first prototype did a number on the tester...the General. Broke both of his legs when he tried taking a step as well as fifteen fingers."

"F-fifteen?"

"People tried to lift him up but the armor was too heavy and it fell on their fingers. In the end, we had to use a crane...it was really embarrassing for everyone involved. He did heal at an amazing rate though. He was back to discuss the failed design within three hours after being shipped to the med bay and propose a new design."

Homura shook her head at that. Leave it to Lelouch to take advantage of everything at his disposal regardless of the circumstances that led it to him acquiring it in the first place.

"Do you have an estimate on when the armor will be completed?" Homura asked.

"No idea," Rose admitted as she cleaned her glasses with some cloth. "There are many things to take into account. First off, the armor itself will be a device on its own with its own AI similar to those in Armed Devices...or an Intelligent Device if we can manage it. Which means that Mages wearing it will be forced to synchronize with the armor as well as their weapon Device. Mages within the Battalion would have to be trained to synchronize their brains with two Devices at once and that isn't something most people can do within a month."

"Then there are the General's requirements for the armor itself. It needs to be able to automatically deploy barriers and shields as a first line of defense and the material has to be strong to take a hit should the shield fail..."

"Which lead to a heavy armor that snaps the wearer's legs..."

"I tried to warn them it was a bad idea...I really did..."

"What about the weapon devices?" Homura asked.

"Those are in the final testing stages," Rose replied as she turned to the monitor which suddenly depicted a diagram of something that looked like a jousting lance on one side while on the other side it depicted a longsword. "We have two types of weapon devices that will be distributed to the soldiers of the 501st Battalion. Apparently the General wants to set up at least two types of two regiments. The first one will carry the lances into the field. They double as a melee weapon as well as a shooting weapon. I believe they will be the shock troopers."

"The second regiment will carry the sword type devices. If I were to give them a role, I think they would be considered the 'medics' of a sort. The General has said he plans to have them take on a variety of roles. Defending supply lines, rescue and relief...that sort of thing."

"I see..." Homura nodded. "A lance for attack and a sword for defense...in any case, I have already taken much of your time today. Please excuse me."

"Feel free to come back if something doesn't seem right," Rose called out and Homura nodded before shutting the door behind her.

"One week before the 'squad' arrives..." Homura muttered as she looked at her new ring on her hand. "One week to prepare myself for to work with random strangers with a new weapon. Why are you handing me such an important job, Lelouch?"

* * *

Tiida Lanster really wasn't sure what to think when he suddenly got transferred to this new base and new unit.

"_The 501__st__ Special Forces Brigade led by Brigadier General Lelouch Lamperouge_," he muttered as he looked up the man's file. "_In 0065 he played a key part during the Book of Darkness Incident, secretly cooperating with both the book's final owner, the TSAB and the local Mages and destroyed the corruption of the Book and returning it to its former state as the Tome of the Night Sky which is currently being used by Cadet Yagami Hayate. Lamperouge also joins the TSAB and finishes officers' training in record time to which he then proceeds to successfully solve several incidents within TSAB space over the course of the next two years, including stopping several rebellions and civil wars across several planets by somehow convincing both sides to make peace or taking command of one side and completely crushing the opposition..._"

Tiida shook his head. He couldn't see how it was possible for a man to be so...efficient at things, especially not someone a year older than he was

"_Lamperouge was promoted to Brigadier General a few months after he received a grievous wound on the field protecting a twelve year old cadet..._I understand getting a medal for being injured protecting a comrade on the field, but why would he receive a double promotion for it?"

"Bureaucratic nonsense, probably," came a voice to Tiida's right.

Tiida looked over to see a man looking at him with a smile on his face. Like Tiida himself, he was not wearing the black uniform with silver shoulders that the rest of the people of the base were wearing, meaning he was just recently transferred over too.

"Sorry, Vice Granscenic, looks like you were just transferred over too."

"Yeah, Tiida Lanster...and what do you mean by bureaucratic nonsense?"

"Just a few rumors I've heard back at my old post," Vice explained. "Apparently the wound the General received was bad enough that he was put on life support. Some of the other higher ups, read the old geezers that didn't like the up and coming that's associated with instigators of two incidents rising up the ranks and tried to take him off life support seeing as he wasn't waking up any time soon and gave him an early 'posthumous promotion.' Course as soon as they finalize it, the man wakes up due to that Eternal guy attacking the hospital he was staying at."

"That's...extremely convoluted, isn't it?" Tiida asked. "It also makes it sound like the General faked his incapacitation to get the promotion."

"Yeah, but I doubt that considering he was run through by a five foot long steel claw. Not to mention the fact that his wife was killed when Eternal attacked. Don't think anyone would get their wife killed just for a double promotion, especially when they have a daughter to take care of."

"I suppose not..."

Before either of them could say anything else, a blonde woman came up to them.

"Ah, here's where the two of you were," she said. "I am First Lieutenant Tomoe Mami. General Lamperouge has requested your presences in his office to discuss your new postings."

"What, both of us?" Vice asked.

"Indeed. The two of you will be placed in a squad together and your new squad leader will be waiting for you in the General's office."

The two men looked at each other before following Mami through the base to the General's office.

When they got there, they found a room that heavily contrasted the cold atmosphere of a military base. There was carpeting for one, instead of the steel tiles for the rest of the base, several wooden shelves lined to the brim with books and folders. In the center of the room were two couches with a coffee table between them where a tea set was lying, ready to be used, next to a chess set. But the most unusual thing had to be the crib in the far corner of the room with a child sleeping peacefully in it, clinging onto a strange yellow stuffed animal.

There were two other people in the room as well. A man sitting behind the desk who Tiida could tell was General Lamperouge, and a young woman with the same color hair and eyes as the General, making Tiida wonder if she was his sister or something. The strangest thing about her was the large silver buckler on her left arm. Was it her device?

"Good afternoon, gentlemen," Lamperouge said nodding his head as they stood in front of his desk. "Thank you for coming."

"Sir!" the two men said as the same time.

"Let's get straight down to business," the General said as he stood up and Mami turned off the lights, prompting the screens behind the general to light up. "For the past few months, several Enforcers have come across a number of facilities of various sizes that seemed to be producing Mass Weapons."

"Seemed to be, Sir?" Tiida asked.

"As of right now, we do not have a one hundred percent guarantee that the factories were used to make mass weapons as by the time the Enforcers found them, they all have been closed down and any and all products they have been making are gone. We can only speculate that they are being used to make mass weaponry simply because the machines _can_ be used to make mass weaponry with ease."

"So where do we come in?" Vice asked.

"I have asked the Enforcers to transfer the case to us," the man replied. "Therefore, as of right now, your squad will be in charge of investigating this case."

"Our...squad, sir?"

"Indeed. Lieutenant Tomoe will be your squad's tactical and operation supervisor...and..." the General began as his eyes moved toward his left where the other girl was standing quietly. "...Warrant Officer Akemi will be your third member."

Both Tiida and Vice turned toward Homura, who made no sign that she was being acknowledged and remained still with her eyes closed.

"Is that right?" Vice asked. "A pleasure to be working with you."

"...You as well," Homura replied with a nod.

"Good. Then the three of you should report to the training grounds. Acquaint yourselves with each other. Spells, battle styles, likes, dislikes, everything you can think of. Find a good balance an team formation. Captain Lanster, as you are the highest rank and you already have experience in command, you'll be the Squad Leader. Is this all right with you?"

"Yes Sir," Tiida replied with a salute. "I have no complaints."

"Good. You are all dismissed."

Tiida saluted the general and left the room with both Vice and Homura following him.

They had barely gotten ten feet from the door when Vice turned to Homura and asked, "SO, you doing anything later?" to which Homura remained silent and stared at him in two parts shock and one part disbelief at his audacity.

Tiida could only sigh as his hand found his face.

This was going to be difficult.

* * *

As Tiida Lanster exited the room with Vice Granscenic and Homura in tow, Mami turned toward Lelouch who had stood up to check on Einhalt.

"Excuse me, Lelouch-san," she began. "But was there really a reason to put Homura-san in a squad?"

"Maybe, maybe not," came his vague reply. "Certainly wouldn't hurt though. Homura is skilled thanks to her magic, there's no doubting that but she's...not one for tactics other than stop everything and shoot at it until it goes away with the occasional bombing hear and there. She's worse than Kyouko in that regard if you really think about it."

"I...try not to," Mami admitted as she walked up to the crib and looked down at Einhalt as well. The child was still fast asleep, clutching onto the plush toy as if it was a safety net as her face was scrunched up. "Oh dear, another nightmare?"

"Every time she sleeps she has a nightmare. I suppose I'm lucky in that she doesn't wake up crying...not that that reassures me in anyway. It bothers me how quiet she is most of the time. If she didn't cry for food and for cleaning I would have assumed her to be mute."

He brushed a finger over the Einhalt's cheek and the girl's face softened slightly.

"At least she knows when you are nearby and that she's safe."

"I suppose. It would be better if I knew exactly what was causing her nightmares. It's not sleeping in a military base, she gets nightmares at home too. It's not the crib, I've tried three different ones already. I hate this. Not knowing what's causing her pain."

Mami turned to her friend but didn't say anything.

She had another idea of what might be causing the nightmares but didn't want to say anything as it seemed like he was deliberately avoiding thinking about it.

That incident last year had really affected everyone that had been directly involved.

Vita had lost some of her usual spunk and was in Lelouch's words, "Disturbingly polite" around him. Sayaka had began studying healing magic under Shamal and the Green Lady said she was making significant progress in such a short time.

The most affected however, had to be Nanoha. The girl seemed to find a way to excuse herself whenever Lelouch was in the room and whenever she couldn't she would avoid his gaze as best she could. Mami couldn't even remember the last time Nanoha spoke to the man either.

It was clear, even to Kyouko, that Nanoha was still blaming herself for the incident, even if Lelouch didn't. Not that he made it clear one way or the other. The fact that he didn't even seem bothered at Nanoha's attitude toward him, merely acknowledging her presence and greeting her before leaving her alone, didn't help much.

No one had the courage or wanted to call him out on it. Not even Madoka.

"I'll leave you two alone then," Mami said with a quick bow as she headed toward the door. "Please don't hesitate to call me if you need help."

"I'll keep that in mind," Lelouch nodded as Mami closed the door and left the two of them alone.

* * *

Once he was sure Mami was enough of a distance away, Lelouch let out long sigh.

Finally, he was alone again.

It wasn't that he hated her company or anything like that, far from it. He enjoyed the company of his friends and their willingness to help him care for an almost two year old girl.

And it was the fact that he enjoyed it that he hated.

Pushing the thoughts out of his mind, he lowered the bars of the crib and gently picked his daughter up in his arms and held her against him so that her head was resting against his shoulder. She did not wake up from the sudden movement and remained asleep.

It was another thing that worried him.

Whenever Einhalt slept, nothing would wake her. Not even when Vita fired a firecracker over her head along with the subsequent shouts of rage from Lelouch woke her up. It was like she was under some kind of trance when she slept.

Or, feeling dramatic, she was being caged by her nightmares that wouldn't let her wake up until they were done, leaving her crying out whenever she did wake up.

Nothing in the files he received from _that_ person mentioned anything about this, and no medical professional could tell him anything either, not even Shamal.

What was suggested, was that he should wait until she was older to find out what exactly the nightmares she were having.

Another professional had told him that there were machines that could let one see into people's dreams, but Lelouch was not willing to use them. Reasons being that he felt it was too risky to use something like that on a toddler and that he wouldn't do something to his daughter without her knowing what was going on that he would not want done on himself, even if it could potentially tell him what he wanted.

He hated this feeling.

The feeling of not knowing anything.

The feeling of being unable to do anything.

This cursed feeling of uselessness.

This cursed feeling of helplessness.

How was he supposed to protect the people of the TSAB...when he can't even keep his own daughter from having nightmares every night?

"Why did you leave me alone...?" he whispered to no one in particular as he rubbed his hand on Einhalt's back to try and soothe her.

* * *

"_Two targets in front of the door...another coming around the corner in about ten seconds._"

"I got the single. B3, can you get the other two?"

"_Affirmative. By your go._"

"Is it clear, B2?"

"_Window will open in...five...four...three...two...one...go!_"

"It's showtime!"

He moved quickly out from the large steel container he had been hiding behind towards his target.

"Hey buddy," he called out silently when he got close, causing the guard to turn around in shock and train his weapon on him.

Before the guard could shoot though, he slashed at the weapon with his device, splitting it in two before bringing his fist into the guard's stomach, causing him to bowl over, knocking him out.

"_Targets down._"

"Here too. We still dark?"

"_No one inside seems to be moving. Looks like you're good._"

"Alright. I'll meet you at the door, B3."

Dragging the unconscious guard into the shadows, he quickly patted the man down to see if he could find anything like a key card. After the second search, he found the card, hidden in the man's boot, before rushing toward the door where his squad mate was waiting.

"Found it?" Akemi Homura asked.

"Yeah," Tiida Lanster nodded, holding up the card before swiping it through the scanner.

There was a beep and a click before the scanner folded outward, revealing a keypad.

"Well, there is definitely something going on here," Tiida said as he inputted the key code he received from intelligence before the mission. "Why would there be so much security for a warehouse that stores pianos?"

Homura didn't say anything and instead rolled her eyes as if telling him "Of course there's something here as we wouldn't be here if there wasn't" as the keypad beeped and a click signaled them that the door had unlocked itself, allowing the two to slip in.

"Still there, B2?" Tiida asked.

"_Read you loud and clear,_" Vice Granscenic replied. "_Still no movement. You're still dark._"

Tiida nodded and looked toward Homura who pointed her finger up.

Tiida glanced up and saw several rafters on the ceiling and nodded again. Holding his device up toward it, an orange line shot up toward it and wrapped around it.

"Excuse me," he said as he wrapped his arm around Homura's waist before the line pulled the two of them up, allowing them to hop onto the rafters and silently make their way deeper into the warehouse.

Tiida was glad that the rafters were at least big enough for him to crawl across. He had no idea how Homura was able to walk across them, perched with perfect balance like a cat, right behind him. He privately wondered if the girl was annoyed at him for being so slow but she hadn't said anything yet so it was probably fine.

They had been in the same squad for barely three months with the first month spent training to find a good squad dynamic.

Amazingly, they all seemed to fit together pretty well.

Vice was an amazing sniper, able to accurately predict and hit moving targets up to a kilometer away with a normal Variable Bullet spell and able to hit stationary ones the size of a person over two kilometers away. His device had also been outfitted with a thermal scope that allowed him to see through walls and inform them about any enemy movement.

Homura was...unique to say the least. The not-quite-tall, dark, and cool girl excelled in various different fields but infiltration was definitely her best point. Against the OpFor on the 501st base, Homura could easily breach into the training compounds and make out with the intelligence with so little effort it was like the OpFor were sleeping upright.

And then there was him. He had wondered why he had been put in charge of two fairly incredible people. Sure he had experience leading small man squads, but he didn't think there was really anything special about him for him to be personally picked by the General. He had wondered a few times if he was picked solely because he also had a gun-type device but in the end decided that it was a stupid and superficial reason.

Overall, his little gun squad, Codenamed "Bishop," got along pretty well if he could say so himself. Little more than friends if he was optimistic as Homura didn't object to spending time with them outside of training, even if it was just small talk over lunch. Though Vice's constant attempts to hit on Homura had been a bit of a wall to get around, especially considering the girl probably, at least in Tiida's eyes, batted for the other team when he saw the way Homura's face lit up with a smile when her friend, Warrant Officer Kaname Madoka picked her up one day.

"Captain," Homura said suddenly behind him. "Down below."

Tiida shook his head as he peered over the rafter down toward the area below.

There, a lot of people were moving about with various machines and metalwork. None of which of course, had to do anything with pianos. Unless they were planning to make pianos that shoot the bullets they were churning out down there.

"This is Bishop 1 to Castle," Tiida reported. "We have visual confirmation that this warehouse is a factory of some sort."

"_Understood, Bishop 1,_" came Tomoe Mami's voice. "_Please provide us with a visual._"

"Establishing link..." Homura muttered as she pulled out a large set of goggles and placed them over her eyes before looking back down at the workers.

"_Link received and confirmed. Hmm..._"

"It would be simple to just blow it all up," Homura whispered. "The main gas pipeline is just over there. A single plastic explosive is all that is needed."

"_True..._" Mami muttered slowly.

"_It was a possible course of action_," Tiida thought. Mass weaponry were highly illegal within TSAB space, and these people were creating them on Mid-Childa of all places.

"But...?" Homura asked.

"_But...most of these people look like they're just here to do a job. Look, the state of their clothes, their pale skin, the bags under their eyes. They're probably doing this just to try and make a living._"

"Hmm...or they're being held captive here," Tiida offered.

"_Either way, we can't just blow this place up with them still in here_," Mami said definitely. "_For now, continue with your primary objective and obtain as many of their weapons as possible._"

That's right, their objective here was to attempt to acquire as many of the illegal weapons as possible in an attempt to find a way to counteract their effects. And to capture anyone that looked like they were in charge of the facility.

"Blowing it up is still a contingency plan," Homura said.

"I know, I know," Tiida said waving his hand at her. "Let's just hope it doesn't have to come to that. How long will it take?"

Homura looked down at her hand before looking back towards the group of workers.

"Five minutes...maximum."

With a nod, Homura vanished from the rafter without a single noise or trace. Tiida really wanted to know how she does that but considering he didn't know any other person with such a strange magic, he chalked it up to be a Rare Skill or something.

"_Hey Captain?_" Vice's voice suddenly rang out in his ear. "_I'm getting some really strange readings on the scope._"

"What do you mean by 'strange?'" Tiida asked.

"_Like one of the guys in the back suddenly grew a foot wider and taller at the same time. You think they're making some kind of physical enhancement drug or something?_"

"If they were, they'd have a separate location for that. Everything here appears to be for making those Mass Weapons we've found."

"_I suppose...huh? Where did he go...?_"

"Where did who go?"

Tiida's answer came to him in the form of a scream of pain followed by the shattering of several crates below him, which was then followed by the workers screaming in fear as they fled toward the exits.

Standing in the center of the vacated room with a fairly large squad of guards behind it was a creature that Tiida had never seen before.

It was pure white from top to bottom with a skeletal look. It had no eyes, having a skull like face and protrusions on his shell that looked like a pair of hands covering the eye sockets instead. Its hands a light blue color with long claws, the right claw being as long as Tiida's forearm.

"_An alien?_" came Tiida's first thought. "_As in a real live alien? Not just another human living on another planet?_"

Before his mind could travel to one of those "old sci-fi" movies that one of Homura's friends had lent him, he saw the creature/alien/whatever-in-the-hell-it-was gesture to the guards and they took aim at Homura as she tried to pry herself out of the box.

"Shoot them Vice!" Tiida shouted as he fired his own device.

Three orange shots flew down toward the guards as two green shots flew in from the windows.

Four of the shots connected, causing the guards to collapse like puppets with their strings cut, but the fifth one missed the white creature as it vanished from sight...similar to what Homrua does.

"_Lead, behind you!_"

That was all Tiida heard as he felt himself be kicked from the rafters and into a crate, much like Homura was.

And it hurt. A lot.

Even with his barrier jacket and device producing a field to lessen the impact, it still felt like he was sent flying by a train into a steel wall before the wall broke off and fell down on top of him.

At least Vice was doing his best to keep the creature from following up.

Green bolts were piercing through the windows at wherever the creature was appearing only for it to vanish and appear somewhere else.

"_Oi! Are you guys still alive?_"

"More or less..." Tiida groaned as he pushed himself up off the ground.

"_Homura?_"

"I'm alive," Homura groaned as she stood up, holding two guns in her hand that were definitely not her Device. "Out of the way, Captain."

Even though he had just gotten to his feet, Tiida threw himself back onto the ground just as Homura began firing at the creature with the rifles she no doubt liberated from the crate she was thrown into. He wondered how she was able to fire those large rifles without worrying about the recoil...or how she was able to fire them so accurately as a shower of sparks flew from the creature and it was thrown off its feet and into a stack of crates which toppled over on top of it.

"Did you get it?" Tiida asked.

His answer came via a loud gurgling and chattering roar as the creature burst out of the crate, its body glowing a bright red color while emitting steam. Suddenly its shell began to slide off of its body, revealing a much larger creature instead.

It stood about six feet tall and seemed to be armored like a knight with a large spike protruding from the forearm of its right arm while on its left was a large pincer like a scorpion's. It also had several more spikes on its shoulders and it's head had some kind of plating that made it look like a large soldier's helmet with multiple holes in front for it to see through and had a set of jagged teeth behind a pair of mandibles.

"I believe now would be a good time to retreat," Homura said as she tossed the rifles aside and picked up two more off the ground.

"Yeah...retreating might be a good idea," Tiida agreed as he aimed his own device at it.

The creature let out a low growl as it crouched low to the floor before it suddenly vanished again.

To his left, he heard Homura click her tongue as she vanished as well. Barely half a second later, sparks began raining all around him as machines, guns, and crates began shattering and flying around.

"What the hell is going on?" he shouted as he dived down to the ground and covered his head.

* * *

Unbeknownst to Tiida, Homura and the creature were currently battling each other.

It was a first for her...something that could move within her space other than her.

She was at a disadvantage like this as she had to fight this thing alone but not as much as she would be without using her other powers.

The creature seemed a bit surprised that she was able to keep up with it but it didn't last long as it charged toward her.

"Edge Blazer, Slasher Form!" she said.

[_Yes Ma'am! Change Slasher_!] Edge Blazer said as a pair of knives appeared in her hands, allowing her to block the creature's pincer and stinger.

For about one relative second.

Suddenly, she found herself on her back and struggling to keep the much larger creature from stabbing her by locking her daggers against its stinger and pincer.

"Get...off!" she hissed as she planted her foot on its chest and with a bit of effort, managed to force the heavy creature over her, causing it to roll across the floor for a moment before scrambling back to its feet just in time for Homura to lunge at it.

Of course, Homura was no where near as heavy as the creature was, nor as strong, so it was easily able to catch her and toss her to the side.

Flipping around in the air, Homura manged to land on her feet with a small smirk on her face.

The creature blinked before looking down to see three elongated objects in front of him.

Normally grenades wouldn't do anything when Homura was in the Clock Up Dimension, but she noticed that when things leave her grasp, they travel on for about three relative seconds. So if she held a grenade for about four relative seconds...

All three explode in front of the creature, causing it to fly backwards in a shower of sparks and into a large stack of crates, causing them all to fall and scatter around as the world regained its color.

"What the hell is going on?" Homura heard Tiida shout as he suddenly dived to the ground before looking up at her. "Huh? It's over?"

"Are you okay, Captain?" Homura asked as she held her hand out to him as if she hadn't just fought and defeated a large unknown within the span of five seconds.

"I hate it when you do that..." Tiida sighed as he stretched his hand out toward her only for his eyes to shoot wide open.

[_Variable Bullet!_]

Tiida quickly spun his body around, sweeping his legs at Homura's, tripping her up and firing his device just above her falling body.

Orange bolts flew over her body and smashed into the creature, who had lunged at her from the crates. The creature fell back slightly but landed on its feet and rubbed its chest as if it only received a mosquito bite.

"_Oi oi oi!_" Vice was shouting over the comm as the creature jerked its head upward and rolled to the right, avoiding another green bolt. "_Just what does it take to make a DENT in this damn thing?_"

"Doesn't really matter right now," Tiida grunted as he and Homura stood back up. "We got what we came for. Homura..."

Homura nodded as as another grenade fell out of her shield toward her feet.

Before it could hit the ground, she gave it a fierce kick towards the creature while Tiida turned around and bolted toward the door with Homura following him right afterward.

The creature ducked to the right to avoid the grenade, only for it to still explode inches from its head, letting out a loud bang and blinding light.

A loud gurgling roar was enough to let Tiida know that the creature was disorientated as they scrambled out of the exit and away from the warehouse. They ran all the way down the street towards a black van parked with its rear doors towards them.

Tiida saw Vice drop down from one of the rooftops nearby the van, throw open the door and climb inside, causing the rear doors to shoot open allowing Homura and Tiida to dive in without problems.

Just as the doors closed, the tires screeched to a start and they were off.

"So...how was the date?" Vice asked from the driver's seat, as if they weren't just attacked by an unknown alien.

"Productive," Homura replied, revealing about a dozen rifles and pistols on the floor of the van. "Not as many as I would have liked though..."

"It'll have to be good enough for the General," Tida sighed as he leaned back against against his chair and ran his hands down his face. "We got bigger problems to worry about now. What with that alien."

"You sure that thing was an alien?" Vice asked. "And not some sort of secret terrorist bio-weapon or something out of a movie plot?"

"Aliens work better for my current state of mind than the possibility of being turned into something that looks like a genetics project between a scorpion and a human gone wrong..."

"Or right," Homura muttered. "Mass rounds were able to push it back but magic rounds barely affected it. It might be designed to counteract mages."

"Stop! Stop!" Tiida said as he covered his ears. "This conversation is well above all our pay grades. Let's just tell the General what we found and let him figure it out."

"Come on, where's the harm in just talking about it?" Vice asked.

"The harm is that our driver tends to turn his head around to talk instead of watching the road."

"Point...I'll shut up now."

* * *

A soft music was playing within Lelouch's office as he looked over some order forms as well as reports from his agents.

"Still no big plays..." he muttered as he placed his hand on his chin. "It's been over a year since he stole it..what is he planning?"

A knock on the door brought him out of his thoughts as Mami entered the room.

"General, Bishop has returned to base and delivered their report," Mami said as she walked over and handed him a data pad.

"Thank you," Lelouch said as he looked through the information for a moment before his eyes narrowed. "Only three rifles and six pistols? I was hoping for a crate..."

"There appears to have been some...obstruction..." Mami said slowly.

"So I see..." Lelouch nodded as he continued reading. "The image is...is this right?"

He looked up at Mami who nodded.

"It is. The thermal image was taken from Storm Raider, the one depicting the shelled form was taken from Signo Braver, and the last one with the creature's second form was taken from Edge Blazer."

Lelouch's mouth twisted into a frown as his eyes narrowed.

"Clock Up..." he muttered.

"Lelouch-san? Do you now what it is?"

"Maybe...I am...unsure though. Putting speculations aside, where are the weapons now?"

"They are currently in the fifth weapons lab for testing. Everyone is waiting for your go ahead to start."

"Tell them to hold it off for just a bit longer," Lelouch said as he stood up and walked over toward Einhalt's crib. "I want to be there to see the results with my own eyes."

"You're not thinking of bringing, Einhalt-chan with you are you?" Mami asked.

"Of course not," Lelouch said with a scoff. "I'm just making sure she has everything in case she wakes up early. Bottle, toys...baby alarm...everything's good."

"Oh, then I'll leave Charlotte with her as well," Mami said as she pulled out the little Witch Doll out of nowhere along with a USB like device with a stylized "L" on it.

"Really now Mami..." Lelouch said with a good-natured smile. "You're already nineteen years old and you still play with dolls."

"You're the one who gave her to me," Mami countered as she pressed the button on the device.

[_LIFE!_] The Gaia Memory called out as Mami inserted it into the back of the doll.

The limp doll suddenly sat upright before turning its head toward Mami.

"Good Morning...Mami," it cooed as it reached out toward the blonde.

"Good morning, Charlotte," Mami said as she hugged the doll. "I'm going out ofr a bit. Can you watch over Einhalt-chan so she doesn't hurt herself or let anyone hurt her?"

"Char can...do it!"

"Thank you, Char," Mami said with a smile as she patted the doll on the head while Lelouch rolled his eyes with a smile.

"Let's head down to the labs," Lelouch said as he left with Mami following at his heels.

The labs were two levels below the ground floor, accessible via a hidden staircase and or an elevator that could only be revealed by people who were stationed there or by anyone that Lelouch has given clearance to.

The labs were where the more...delicate things were being researched and developed.

Nothing outright illegal like the guns found in the warehouse of course. Everything is still "legal" in that all of it is powered by magic, even if they did fire "solid rounds."

But Lelouch hadn't cared for such things.

There had already been reports that some mages were failing to connect with their devices on the field, rendering them useless.

This was why he wanted to mass produce armed devices and train Magic Knights. Even should their devices fail on the field, it can still be used as a physical weapon. Mage Staffs could theoretically do the same, but in those cases, he could only think of how easily Signum and Vita had destroyed Nanoha and Fate's devices during their first encounter.

Not just their devices, but a powered armor that would still be able to protect them when the natural protection field of a barrier jacket was not enough. If only he could find a way to power it without using the mage's own magical power.

If only Sakuradite existed.

"Lelouch-san?" Mami asked as the elevator doors opened.

"Sorry..." Lelouch said as he rubbed his eyes. "I was just...contemplating. Let's go."

The two of them headed toward an upper viewing window where the base researchers were setting up the testing are below.

There was a table with one of the handguns and one of the rifles lying on it. Across the range was a dummy outfitted with a standard TSAB mage's Barrier Jacket and two mages were standing by.

"Are the preparations finished?" Lelouch asked through a speaker.

"Yes sir," replied one of the researchers.

"Good. Please begin."

The test was simple. One of the researchers would fire the pistol at the dummy while the two mages were to deploy defenses to try and protect it.

There were four kinds of magical protections as Lelouch learned quickly in officer's training.

A basic barrier which creates a protective film in front of the user to offset incoming attacks.

A shield was different in that rather than offsetting the attack it attempts to rebound it with opposing magical power.

A field defense was normally used to block elemental effects like extreme heat and extreme cold. Barrier jackets naturally project a small field, allowing mages to work in extreme conditions without worry and so they would not be affected by shrapnel or gravel when being slammed into rubble.

The last type of defense was a physical armor, which was as it sounds, just physical armor. It provided minimal magical protection but it could easily defend against physical attacks.

If Lelouch had his way, his Powered Armor plans would incorporate all four defenses into one.

And from what he was seeing...he might need to expedite his plans.

"This is bad..." Mami said with a hand over her mouth.

Down below, the researcher had fired a single shot at the dummy after the mages had deployed a barrier and a shield in front of it.

The small pistol had managed to pierce through both the shield and the barrier and even the dummy itself, in spite of its barrier jacket.

"Indeed..." Lelouch nodded as they tested the rifle, which produced similar results. "Team Six, record all the test data to be handed to me within the hour. Team Seven is to examine the weapons in detail. You have my permission to take apart two of each. Team Nine is to examine the bullets. Team Ten is to work with Team Nine and is to try and find a material that could resist the bullets to be incorporated into the Powered Armor project."

"What are we going to do now?" Mami asked as Lelouch turned on his heel to head back to the upper levels. "Should we present our findings to the Board?"

"I suppose we should even if they will not take me seriously," Lelouch sighed. "Actually, I won't even bother. Send a copy of the report to the Enforcers and let them decide what to do with it.

"Understood," Mami nodded. "What do we do about that creature?"

"For now..." Lelouch began. "Call in N5 and have Bishop spar with him. From the look of things, Homura's trump card isn't as big as we initially thought. She won't be able to take them in terms of strength so her squad mates need to learn how to fight against opponents that can move at near-light speeds. I have a feeling that there is more than just one of them out there."

"Such a shame," Mami sighed. "His business has just finally gotten popular with children too. Did you know? It seems that he gets the same pair of sisters coming over to buy sweets every weekend."

"Hoh...I never would have thought Jeremiah would do so well," Lelouch said, surprised. "Wait...how do you know this anyway?"

"Because I love ordering his cheesecakes. You should try one sometime, Lelouch-san."

"Hmm...I'll think about it."

"But I do have to wonder. He is the only one that works there and yet he produces almost twenty cakes a day, not counting all the smaller cupcakes and the like. How does he do it?"

"Exploiting a personal piece of military equipment no doubt..." Lelouch sighed with a wry smile.

* * *

"Achoo!"

Jeremiah Gottwald turned his head to the side as he let out a loud sneeze.

"Are you okay?" his young valued customer asked as she peered over the counter. "Are you getting sick too?"

"No no, I believe someone is speaking ill of me," Jeremiah replied with a sniff as he handed the girl her purchase. "Wait...too? Does your younger sister have a cold?"

"Yes. That's why she couldn't come. She's at home in bed right now."

"That's a shame," Jeremiah said with a small grimace. "Please give her my regards...oh and also..."

He quickly turned around and grabbed some bags from the shelf behind him.

"Here...two bags of choco puffs."

"Eh?" the girl gasped. "But I don't have the money to pay for that."

"It's on the house. Think of it as a 'Get-Well-Soon' present from me to your sister. She always seems to buy them when you two come here doesn't she?"

"Then...thank you very much!" the girl said as she accepted the bags. "But why two?"

"I can't play favorites after all," Jeremiah said with a smile just as a small beeping sounded from his waist. "It appears I'm receiving an important call. Run along home now, I need to close the store."

"Okay! See you next week, Mr. Gottwald! Thanks again!"

Jeremiah waved the girl goodbye as she disappeared down the street before closing the door and flipping the "Open" sign around so that it read "Closed" to those on the outside.

Then, he went into the kitchen area, passing three dozen ovens, and into his back office door.

Locking the door behind him, he sat down on his desk and picked up the beeping device on his waist and inserted it into a slot on his desk, causing a monitor to open up in front of his face where Mami could be seen.

"Miss Tomoe, how are you?" Jeremiah asked pleasantly. "What can I do for you?"

"_Good morning, Gottwald-san,_" Mami replied. "_We require your presence at the base._"

"I don't suppose it's just a catering job?"

"_Unfortunately, it is not. Although I wouldn't mind one of your cheesecakes again. No, we need your help in training one of our infiltration squads._"

"It must be very important if you require the help of a confectioner...what is going on?"

"_We will explain once you have arrived. Please come at your earliest convenience._"

Jeremiah simply nodded in understanding as the monitor turned off.

"Things must be really bad..." Jeremiah muttered as he leaned back on his chair and looked upward where a hollowed out sphere was hanging on the ceiling. "...For His Majesty to be calling on me into action once again..."

Jeremiah looked around his small office. If someone had told him five years ago that the great leader of the Purebloods would end up working in a small but fairly popular and glorified sweet shop or "Confectionery" as Jeremiah preferred to call it...he might have had them shot.

But here he was...and strangely enough, he was happy with his life.

He still served his lord, both actively and passively in that he and Mami would take care of the house Lelouch had bought even though he and Young Lady Einhalt slept on the base. Of course, he was also the only one that made the occasional trip back to Britannia as he needed routine maintenance on his cyborg body.

He was also able to make his own...well...not exactly friends per se, but he had a pair of loyal customers that he enjoyed the company of. He also respected Zafira's loyalty to his young mistress and the two of them often went out for drinks.

He did feel guilty though. While he was enjoying himself, his lord was constantly working, both as a general and as a single father, one that preferred to do everything on his own.

Jeremiah then shook his head.

There was no point in nostalgia right now.

Opening his drawer, he pulled out a metal arm bracer and put it on, just as a yellow wasp flew out of the sphere above him.

"Within my storm of loyalty," Jeremiah said as he stood up. "Kamen Rider TheBee shall ride again."

* * *

Chapter's End Corner

**Harouki**: ...I have returned!

**Lelouch**: That's my line!

**Sayaka:** I am still not there! I thought I was the favorite?

**Hayate**: Story comes first I suppose.

**Harouki**: Not really happy with this chapter. So many timeskips and exposition with only one bit of action against the mysterious life form.

**Hayate**: Kamen Rider fans should probably recognize it.

**Harouki**: Anyway, not much to say, didn't get nearly enough of what I wanted in this chapter but then I saw the word count...10k? I think I'll split it in two. Have a bit of a breather I suppose. Welp, time to head back to Persona Magi Madoka Magica.

**Sayaka:** Where I'm still a background character!


	3. Chapter 3: Knightfall

**Chapter 3: Knightfall**

* * *

"_So...how do you want to do this?"_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_Want to crack open the bottle and show each other our shameful sides or do you want to take your first drink here and then split up so we can be shameful alone?"_

"_I...think I'll have a drink here then head out to a few bars..."_

"_All right then. May we never forget...I'm sorry..."_

"_I know..."_

* * *

Lelouch Lamperouge opened his eyes to find himself on the floor, looking at an empty bottle that most definitely had not been empty the previous night. Around him, he could hear a child crying.

He let out a soft sigh as he pulled himself up to his chair and then back up to his feet.

He was in his office, which doubled as his quarters...without a bed anyway.

Lelouch knew Mami was going to chew him out later for passing out drunk. Well, that's if she ever found out. Thanks to the Code, he doesn't get hangovers.

He would still need to dispose of the bottle and remove the smell from his breath and uniform somehow within the next three hours or so though.

"But for more immediate problems..." Lelouch muttered as he crossed over to the crib in the corner of the office.

Lying there, crying to herself due to another nightmare, was his two years and three month old adopted daughter, Einhalt Stratos Lamperouge.

As he let out another sigh and lowered the bars to the crib, the girl stirred as her eyes flickered slightly.

"Shh...it's okay..." he said as he carefully picked her up, the girl instantly clinging onto his arm as he did. "I am here...shh..."

Einhalt let out small cry as her hands tightened around Lelouch's uniform.

"Fa..ha..." she mumbled as she buried her face into his shoulder.

"Yes...I am here..." he replied as he rubbed her back soothingly as he sat back down at his desk just as someone knocked on his door.

"Lelouch-san, are you up?" Mami called through.

"Yeah, you can come in," Lelouch said. His eyes quickly darted down toward the empty bottle and he used his foot to push it deep under his desk as the door opened. "What is it?"

"The modifications to Bishop's Devices have been completed," Mami asked taking a step into the room before stopping and sniffing at the air. "What's that smell."

"Don't ask," Lelouch said quickly, kicking the cork under his desk too. "What about Bishop?"

"They should be here momentarily," Mami said, walking forward until she was right in front of his desk. "Should we call Gottwald-san in?"

"Yes. The faster we get started the better. We can't afford to waste any time."

"Right..." Mami nodded as she tapped a few buttons on her data pad before looking back up. "Hey, Lelouch-san...your head of R&D in Britannia made Gottwald-san's Kamen Rider armor, correct?"

"That's right," Lelouch nodded as Einhalt shifted in his lap and looked up at him, showing him that she was now fully awake. "I handed him the plans and he was able to make them happen."

"Can we not duplicate them here then?"

"I've been trying, but Sakuradite doesn't seem to have any magical equivalent that we can legally use. Illegally on the other hand...well, I'd rather not give any of my fellow generals any ammo to use against me even if the armor would work. There's also the risk of a leak if I distribute my plans out to the R&D department. For now, the most we can do is to install component KRI-001 into their devices in order to help them."

"I see..." Mami nodded as she looked down toward Einhalt and then toward the crib. "Huh? Weren't there supposed to be three bottles up there?"

Mami walked over to one of Lelouch's cabinets and placed a hand on the empty spot in between two bottles of wine.

"W-well, Suzaku did come in last night," Lelouch said as he cleared his throat. "Maybe he took one? I only had them up for display anyway. They weren't anything special."

Though they did pack quite the punch. Maybe. He didn't quite remember. They had to have if he was knocked out right?

At that point, Einhalt turned her face away from Lelouch and let out a small sneeze which was quickly followed by a small groan.

"Oh dear, did she catch a cold?" Mami asked as she walked over to Lelouch. "Perhaps you should try working from home instead."

"It's too insecure," Lelouch said, turning his his head away, trying to make it look like he just didn't want to meet her gaze when he was really trying to keep her from smelling his breath. "The base is good enough. I keep my office at a good temperature and you take her outside once a day."

"And when was the last time you yourself went outside?"

"Two weeks, five days, six hours, and ten minutes," Lelouch replied.

"Really?" Mami asked looking amazed. Whether at the time he spend inside the base or at that he kept count like that, he wasn't sure.

"No," Lelouch shook his head. "I went out three days ago for a diaper run since you were busy with sending out the progress reports...which are, before you say anything, more important than getting some more diapers for Einhalt."

"I wasn't going to," Mami muttered softly as she turned her head away.

"Though maybe it's about time we started her potty training...how the heck I'm going to do that...I have no idea. Maybe I should ask Lindy for advice...if only to hear embarrassing stories about Chrono. Here, it looks like she wants you."

Lelouch held Einhalt out to Mami as the girl had been reaching out toward Mami's hair.

"Hello dear," Mami said as she took Einhalt into her arms and the girl immediately grabbed one of her ponytails and started pulling them. "Ah...ouch! Please don't do that..."

"Really though," Lelouch said as Mami tried to extract her hair without dropping Einhalt. "How long have you been keeping that hairstyle? Don't get me wrong, it suits you, but shouldn't you consider a change sometime? Even Sayaka is growing her hair out."

"If it's not broken, why would you need to fix it?" Mami asked with a smile, just as Einhalt gave a strong tug, pulling Mami's head down. "Ow!"

"If Einhalt keeps that up, something is definitely going to break," Lelouch smirked.

"Please help me!"

"But Einhalt seems to be having fun."

Sure enough, the girl was smiling as she swung her arm back and forth, pulling on Mami's hair and causing her head to rock back and forth as well.

"This will definitely be one of those stories you use to embarrass children in front of their friends," Lelouch said with a grin.

"That's fine, but for now but please help!" Mami cried.

Lelouch sighed with a smile as he pushed himself up and walked over to Mami where he carefully extracted her hair from Einhalt's grip and pulled Einhalt back to him. The girl looked a little disappointed from being pulled away from her second favorite toy, but the expression vanished as Lelouch placed her back into her crib where she began playing with her Cheese-kun plushy instead.

"Ow..." Mami sighed as she rubbed her head. "She already has quite the grip.

"I'm sure she'll be pretty strong physically when she gets older," Lelouch said with a knowing smile. "At least she won't be like me."

"If you say so."

"Anyway, please call Jeremiah in and have Bishop meet him in Urban Training Area Two."

"Yes sir," Mami nodded as she turned to leave. "Oh, I almost forgot. It seems that Hayate-chan wants to have a picnic with everyone at the end of the month. Do you think you can come?"

"Do I have to cook?" he asked, raising his eyebrow.

"That...may be the case."

"Very well...you might want to adjust everyone's schedules accordingly as well."

Mami's expression brightened as she nodded to him and closed the door behind her.

"Another gathering, huh?" Lelouch muttered as he sat back down behind his desk and picked up the empty bottle. "Well...at least she didn't say anything about this..."

With another sigh, he opened up a small compartment in his desk and stuffed the empty bottle in there before rubbing his eyes with his hands.

"Einhalt," he said simply.

"Amu?" came the reply.

"Please take Cheese-kun's arm out of your mouth. I know where that has been and you do not want it in there if you don't want to get sick."

"Mmfu..bwaah..."

A small popping noise told him that she did pull it out at least.

"It's times like these that I can't tell if you're actually screwing with me or you really are just a smart little two year old..." he sighed, opening one eye as Einhalt babbled happily.

"Bii~" she smiled with a full set of baby teeth.

"Yes yes, 'bii' to you too."

* * *

"So Lelouch was drinking as well?"

"That's right. He might have noticed that I noticed but he still tried to play it off."

It was noon now so Mami was having lunch with the other Puella.

"Maybe today was an important day or something for them?" Madoka asked.

"Like what?" Kyouko wondered. "I mean...C.C.'s death anniversary isn't for another two weeks so it couldn't be that."

"Maybe it's something that happened before they met us?"

"I don't suppose we could just ask, could we?"

"Oh, that would be a fun. 'Hey you two! Why have you suddenly become drunken assholes?"

"Something that happened..." Sayaka suddenly muttered. "Could it be about Euphie...!"

"Euphie?" Mami repeated.

"Yeah, you know...Lelouch's younger half-sister, Euphemia," Sayaka explained. "Remember what C.C. showed us? How Lelouch's Geass went haywire after he made that stupid joke of his?"

"Oh right..." Kyouko nodded. "You think that happened today then? Wait, so you're saying Suzaku got drunk off his ass too?"

"Uh huh," Sayaka nodded with a grimace. "Found him sitting in a park reeking with alcohol. His wallet was empty too so I asked him how many bars he went to. He said he lost count after the fifth one so I had to walk him back to his quarters."

"His quarters huh...you guys still aren't living together yet?"

"Shut it."

"You've been pretty quiet, Homura-chan," Madoka said, turning her head away from her other bickering friends. "Did something happen during training?"

Homura simply rolled her head over to Madoka before rolling it back the other way.

"That bad, huh?"

"Gottwald-san wasn't the most...lenient of trainers," Mami said after a moment.

"How bad are we talking about?" Kyouko asked.

As Mami regaled them with the story, Homura's mood dropped as she thought about the event herself.

* * *

Two hours earlier.

* * *

"So why are we here again?" Vice asked Mami as Bishop stood in the middle of the training ground with the blonde operator watching them at a distance through a monitor.

"_It's a special training program that the General devised to help you all out should you encounter another one of those creatures,_" Mami replied.

"You mean besides the upgrades to our devices?" Tiida asked as he pointed to a set of orange holographic goggles on his face. Vice had a pair of green ones while Homura had a set of dark purple.

Besides the goggles, the three of them were now sporting a set of modified, similar themed, Barrier Jackets, an idea Vice had to promote squad unity.

Homura's was completely different from her Puella outfit. An armored, black, one-piece tunic that covered her chest, stopping at her thighs with her shoulders covered by a thin purple shawl that drooped down to just about her elbows, all with a silver trimming. She also had a purple waist attached cape that stretched down to her ankles.

Her device proper however, remained the same and largely unchanged.

Vice's was a modified version of the standard TSAB barrier jacket with black armored plates on his chest and shoulders with silver trim lines instead of red over a dark green trench coat. His boots and gauntlets were also black with silver trims.

Storm Raider has also been upgraded with the same experimental shooting system Homura uses, storing up to ten shots at once while still allowing him to make use of the standard method of firing. It was also equipped with a "Bayonet Mode" allowing him to put up a better fight in in close quarters.

Tiida's barrier jacket was also a modified version of the standard TSAB barrier jacket like vices except his trench coat was a jet black on the outside while a dark orange on the inside. The chest piece was also segmented into two parts, split where the coat opened up. Also instead of large plates on his shoulders, they were much smaller and form fitting rather than the large blocks the standard ones had.

Signo Braver also incorporated the same shooting system as the other two had. Its frame also got a slight overhaul, now looking like an old fashioned hunting rifle with a metal bayonet fit under its barrel so he didn't need to switch back and forth between modes. It also now uses a revolver style cartridge system for increase magical power.

"_That's right_," Mami nodded. "_They're still in the experimental stage, so the three of you will need to break them in, which is why we are having this test. The same goes for your new protective clothing._"

"How exactly are we testing them?" Homura asked.

"_Turn around._"

The three of them looked at each other in confusion before they turned around to stare at the empty street behind them.

"Are we supposed to be seeing some-" Tiida began just as a flash of bright yellow in the shape of a human blurred in the distance. "What was that?"

The blur appeared again, only to stop in the middle of the street. Now, Tiida could see the figure properly as he pressed his hand against the goggles to remove them.

The figure, male most likely, was wearing a black bodysuit with orange yellow armored plates on his chest, shoulders, knees, and feet. He also had a full helmet that covered his entire face in the design of a wasp's head. Granted his entire armor made him look like a wasp.

"_That will be your target for this training session,_" Mami replied with a smile. "_Kamen Rider TheBee. He is a civilian collaborator brought in just for you three._"

"Wait a minute, Tomoe Mami!" Homura said quickly as she took a step back from TheBee. "This is a bit much isn't it?"

"Yeah," Tiida agreed, causing the younger girl to look at him. "It's three-on-one isn't it?"

"There is no need to worry about me," TheBee said as he flexed his wrist. "This is for your benefit, after all. Feel free to go all out."

"You two, run now!" Homura said as Tiida turned to look at her. The next instant, she became a bright blur that ran into one of the nearby buildings.

"What's up, Homu-rack!" Vice began, only for Tiida to feel a brush of wind behind him

Wheeling around, Tiida saw TheBee standing in Vice's spot with his leg outstretched while the sniper had been kicked far far away before landing hard on the ground and rolling to a stop. He then slowly pushed himself to his knees and started hacking and coughing at the ground.

"_It appears the trauma system for the Protective Clothing works perfectly if Sergeant Granscenic has managed to remain concious,_" Mami said with a smile.

"Uhh...timeout?" Tiida asked as TheBee turned toward him.

"The training has begun," TheBee said as he cracked his knuckles. "It ends when you are unable to move or when I say so. Not before."

And Tiida felt the wind get knocked out of him along with the sky and ground reversing themselves. He then landed on his back on a bench, which snapped and broke under the impact.

"Ow..." he groaned as he shook his head and pushed himself upright just to see Vice fire a grapple line to one of the windows and pull himself up toward the top of one of the buildings, leaving him alone on the street with the crazy fast, crazu strong...masked guy. "Oh crap."

"Yes, I do believe that sums up your current predicament..." TheBee nodded.

[_FULL STREAM!_]

TheBee whirled his head around before diving to the side. A long stream of purple shots lashed across the street like a whip at TheBee's former location, kicking up a line of gravel into the air.

"An excellent strike, Lady Akemi," TheBee said as he rolled back up to his feet.

Homura was standing on a lamp post with Edge Blazer in Gatling mode in her arms. She clicked her tongue before she raised the Device toward the sky and the barrel began spinning, creating a magic circle underneath her.

"Maximum Power," Homura said as she aimed the weapon at TheBee again, causing several panels on the edge of the Device to open up, revealing several smaller barrels.

"Wait a minute Homura!" Tiida shouted as he jumped to his feet and started backing up. "I'm still in the blast range!"

"Then run."

[_FULL STREAM BURST!_]

Another stream of purple bullets fired from the main barrel while small purple lasers fired out form the other ports, swirling around in the air before coming down toward TheBee, who simply let out a surprise and impressed laugh before sliding his fingers across the side of his belt and disappearing with a cry of [_CLOCK UP!_]

Homura's shots began tracking the Rider as he zipped across the street, causing large amounts of rubble to be shot into the air as Tiida ran as fast as he could the opposite direction.

"_This is freaking insane!_"

"No need to tell me!"

Tiida vaulted over a planter just as the remains of the street crashed down behind him.

"_Three-on-one would be unfair you said! He should have someone as back up you said!_" Vice shouted as the explosions died down.

"I get it Vice! Post!"

"_Holy crap!_"

A jet of green light shot out of the window of a building dragging the sniper out of it just as a lamp post smashed into the window, having been tossed by TheBee like a javelin, and fell down to the street with a thud.

"_You two need to calm down,_" came Homura's voice, the girl reappearing on top of a light post.

"_Easy for you to say, Homura!_" Vice said as Tiida saw him hanging from one of the rooftops for a second before pulling himself up. "_You can actually keep up with him!_"

"Come now," came a voice across the street from Tiida's position, making Tiida peek over his planter. Their opponent was a man in golden armor that made him look like a wasp. For some reason he had the same Rare Skill as Homura and the alien Bishop encountered a few days ago. "I have yet to break a sweat. The three of you have been personally chosen by the General. At the very least you could..."

Instantly, the man's arm was at the side of his waist.

[_SHARP BARRET!_]

[_CLOCK UP!_]

Three green Bullets fell down upon TheBee's position, forcing him to speed out of the way and look up toward the rooftop where Vice was shooting at him from. Following his lead, Homura and Tiida also took aim with Edge Blazer and Signo Braver respectively as the ports of Edge Blazer opened up again while Signo Braver

[_FULL STREAM!_]

[_GHOUL SHOOTER!_]

Purple and orange bullets joined in with the green ones as TheBee weaved in and out through the bullets as the street was littered with gravel and smoke.

Finally, as the last of the Sharp Barrets landed within the cloud of smoke, Bishop halted its onslaught.

"_You have got to be freaking kidding me..._" Vice sighed as the smoke cleared and TheBee was standing calmly in the smoke. "_Can't we even hit him?_"

"Yeah..." Tiida said as TheBee looked down toward his shoulder where there was a fairly large dent with smoke coming out of it. "You can."

"_Eh, really?_"

"It seems that the key to defeating them would be to shoot enough so that there isn't room for them to dodge," Tiida continued. "A war of attrition for Mages. What runs out first? Our magical reserves or the target's luck?"

"Congratulations," TheBee said clapping his hands three times. "But knowing what to do is completely different from actually being able to do it."

"That's the downside of this...huh..." Tiida sighed as he flipped Signo Braver around so that he could make use of its bayonet like a sword.

TheBee simply shrugged his shoulders as he ran his fingers on his belt again.

[_CLOCK UP!_]

"Captain, I wish to try something," Homura said as she turned toward Tiida with Edge Blazer in its dual pistol form.

"What?"

[_LINK STREAM!_]

A purple cord of light shot out from one of the pistols and wrapped itself around Tiida's arm.

"H-Homura?" Tiida asked in shock as a shield appeared on Homura's arm.

"Let's go..." Homura said as a deep click resounded in Tiida's ears.

The next instant, Tiida suddenly felt as though he went color blind as the world lost all color save for black and white...save for Homura, himself and TheBee, who was looking at them with interest...he supposed. It was hard to tell from behind the mask.

"It worked..." Homura said in surprise as she looked down at the cord.

Oi, Homura!" Tiida shouted as he looked around the strange new world. "What is this? Did you put up a barrier?"

"No," Homura replied. "This is my...Rare Skill. It's how I can keep up with that guy over there. Anyone that I am touching when I activate it can come with me into this dimension where it seems that time holds still in the normal world. It seems that using a magical bind to link us will also allow you to come with me."

"So I see..." Tiida muttered as he spied a piece of rubble just hanging in the air. "So what happens if I lose the bind...?"

"I am unsure. Depending on what is happening when you lose the bind, you may simply find yourself back in normal time...or you will find yourself moving impossibly fast and meeting a wall, that is if I am unable to grab you again."

"...I will be careful."

"Are you done explaining?" TheBee asked politely, his arms crossed in front of his chest.

"Yes, thank you for your patience," Homura said dully.

"There is no problem. This is merely training. Do remember that in a real life scenario, your enemy will not give you such an opportunity unless he is a fool. Now then, let us begin again."

"Captain, the cord will extend and rescind as we get further and closer to each other but there is still a set limit," Homura said quickly as TheBee charged at them. "Projectiles are also largely ineffective unless at point blank range."

Tiida saw that even though the Rider wasn't able to use his super speed anymore, he was still unbelievably fast, being able to close the distance between them in seconds.

"Crap!" he shouted as he raised his device up just in time to block a blade that had extended from TheBee's right arm. "That's dangerous!"

"Captain! Brace your arm!"

Tiida didn't question it. He simply dug his feet in as he tried to push back against the Rider's blade while keeping his arm steady.

Homura quickly retracted the cord, pulling herself toward Tiida. Tiida felt a heavy resistance against his arm as the cord tugged at him, but he held it steady with all his might, allowing Homura a proper anchor as she more or less flew toward the two of them.

TheBee only had time to turn his head as Homura rammed her shoulder into him, knocking him away before she placed her pistol with the cord that was supporting Tiida on a holster on the back of her waist while turning the second pistol into a dagger.

TheBee skidded to a stop about three meters away before brushing his shoulder off.

"So uh...how tough is this guy?" Tiida asked.

"As an estimate?" Homura asked back and Tiida nodded. "About as tough as the creature we fought. Most likely tougher."

"Perfect..."

"Indeed," TheBee nodded. "I am the perfect training partner for you, aren't I?"

"Not quite what I meant..."

"Well, let's continue, shall we?" TheBee asked as held his fists up and ready.

"Let's go, Captain," Homura said as she stowed the tethered pistol behind her waist so she could keep one hand free. "Remember, do not stray too far."

"Got it," Tiida nodded, gripping his device tighter.

"Three...two...one..."

"Showtime!"

The two Mages shot forward toward the Rider, with the tether shining brightly in between them.

TheBee stared at it for a moment before he realized what they were trying to do. He quickly ducked as the tether moved over his head as Homura slid to a halt and lunged at his exposed back.

However, the Rider easily avoids it by rolling out of the way and launching himself back up to his feet with his hands and spinning around back to face them.

TheBee then shot toward Homura, who quickly deployed a shield in front of herself as the Rider wailed on it as lighting began charging in his left hand around the strange wasp on the back of his wrist.

TheBee then smashed his left hand against the shield, shattering it and sending the girl flying.

"Homura!" Tiida shouted as he grabbed hold of the tether and pulled as hard as he could.

Homura's device dislodged itself from Homura's back for barely an instant as she grabbed it with her free hand.

Tiida didn't know what he had to do, but he was a sitting duck if TheBee decides to attack him while he was trying to pull Homura back in.

So, without really thinking about it, he began to swing the tether around, bringing Homura with it.

He saw Homura's eyes widen as she began flying toward a building.

Homura managed to spin herself around and shorten the length of the tether so that her feet could match the momentum of the swing, allowing her to run along the side of the building for a moment as Tiida brought her around close toward TheBee.

"What's this?" TheBee asked in shock as Homura's feet slammed into his chest, knocking him backwards and onto the street.

"Nice kick, Homura!" Tiida shouted as the world around them suddenly regained their color.

"Ten seconds of real world time has passed," Homura explained as Tiida looked around. "We are back in normal time."

"_WHAT THE HELL?_" came Vice's voice.

"Vice?" Tiida asked.

"_You...I...what? You knocked him over? How?_"

"I'll explain later," Homura said quickly as TheBee rubbed his head and picked himself up.

"Well now..." TheBee said in a slightly amused voice as he rolled his shoulder. "I certainly did not expect that. Let us begin a second time, shall we?"

"Kuh!"

Homura made to activate her shield but TheBee was faster than her.

[_CLOCK UP!_]

The golden blur burst right between the two of them, severing the tether before the timer on Homura's shield activated.

"Ca-" Homura began before she vanished.

"Uh oh..." Tiida said as he spun around trying to keep vision on his subordinate and his target. Then he saw two blurs head up the side of a building. "Vice!"

"_Oh crap! Gah!_"

Tiida watched in horror as Vice was sent flying from the rooftop and straight toward the ground. However, at the last second, Vice managed to fire a tether at a lamp post and swing, just a bit before he hit the pavement and ended up rolling for a bit before Tiida managed to stop him.

"Are you okay?" Tiida asked

"I think...he broke...my jaw..." Vice groaned as he placed a hand to his cheek which was swelling up.

"It's swollen but doesn't seem to be..."

A loud crash interrupted him as Homura was suddenly on the ground as well while TheBee dropped to the ground a little bit further away from the three of them.

"Oh...damn it all..." Tiida sighed as the Mages stood up and prepared for another round of beating.

* * *

In the end, they were soundly trounced over and over for two hours.

"I have no skill in close range damn it..." Vice sighed as he placed an icepack on his swollen cheek. "Guy punches like a train..."

"You can't say that," Tiida sighed as he place a wet towel over his face. "Unless you've been hit by a train before in your life?"

"It's just an expression, Captain...and you can't deny that you didn't think of it as well. You got punched more than I did after all."

"Yeah...I know..."

With a sigh, Tiida removed the towel and stared at his new black eye. TheBee hadn't meant to hit him there and apologized by giving him a coupon for any twelve items at some place called Orange Confectioneries for free.

Tiida had never been there himself, but apparently it was really popular with girls and kids.

"Probably need to go see the doc for that," Vice said, pointing at the eye. "Shame Homura only has regeneration magic."

Tiida only nodded and sighed, remembering how Homura cleaned her wounds up in a blink of an eye and then went off to have lunch with her friends...which, now that he thought about it, included the chief medical officer.

"Guess I'm just going to use a patch for now," Tiida sighed as he dug into his pockets and fished out the coupon. "Hmm...hey Vice, you like sweets?"

"Oi oi, isn't that some place you should take a girl too instead of a guy?" Vice asked in a deadpan.

"Yeah but I don't really know any girls. Just Homura and my sister."

"So ask one of them."

"Well why don't you come with us then? You have any other plans?"

"Hmm...ah, why the hell not? Might as well see what the big deal of that place is. Homura should be in the mess, right?"

"Yeah," Tiida nodded. "We don't have anything else to do today so we could probably take a few hours of leave, right?"

"Probably. We haven't used any of vacation days after all."

"Think you can go get Homura? I'll get permission then meet you out front."

"Yeah yeah," Vice said as he stood up and headed out. "I have this strange feeling we're gonna be picking up more than Homura though."

Tiida simply shrugged as he opened up a call to the General.

He waited for about ten seconds before the call was answered and he saw the general without his uniform and instead only in dress shirt with its sleeves rolled up.

"_What is it, Captain?_" the General asked as he seemed to be messing with something below the monitor. "_Is it important?_"

"No I was just wondering if..." Tiida began only for a large glob of water to rise up from below the monitor and splash the dark haired man in the face. "Umm...am I interrupting something?"

"_No no..._" came a very tired sounding reply as the man shook his head to dry himself like a wet dog as a child's laughter could be heard. "_Not really. Just tell me what you need._"

"Uh...I was wondering if Bishop could take a little leave from base for a few hours."

"_Hmm...your quad isn't scheduled for anything and your devices need to be tuned...well so long as you are back in base before the day is over, go ahead...pfft!_"

More water splashed into his face followed by what Tiida was sure was a rubber duck.

"_I will remember this...Einhalt..._" came the dark reply as Tiida could hear the child laugh even harder.

"_Bii~_" came the girl's reply as the monitor switched off.

"I guess he was giving his daughter a bath..." Tiida muttered as he scratched his cheek. "Does he live in that office of his after all? There's no way he's not well off with a general's paycheck...maybe he's just being frugal...?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Tiida called made his next call.

"_Hello, Lanster Residence,_" came a sleepy looking ten year old girl's voice.

"Yo, Teana," Tiida called out, causing the girl's eyes to snap open.

"_Tiida! How's work? Are you already done for the day? Can you come home? Wait...what happened to your eye? Did you get hurt? Who did it?_"

"Are you worried?"

"_Of course I am! If you can't work then how will we eat?_"

"Hahaha...well, in order: I'm not completely done for the day but the base commander has given me a short leave so I could come home for a bit. I got the injury from a training session and my training partner gave me this coupon thing for...Orange Confectioneries? Have you heard of it?"

"_Really?_" Teana exclaimed, causing Tiida to flinch away at the sudden outburst. "_Are you coming to get me then?_"

"Sure, if you want to go that is."

"_I want to go! I want to go!_"

"All right. Then I'll pick you up in about an hour with my squad."

"_Your squad?_" Teana repeated. "_You mean the people you work with?_"

"Yeah," Tiida nodded. "So be on your best behavior, okay?"

"_Kay~_"

* * *

"...What's with this group?" Tiida asked as he stared at them.

"I told you I had the feeling..." Vice shrugged.

Behind him stood Homura of course along with Madoka, Mami, Kyouko and Sayaka as well.

"Oh don't worry about me," Sayaka said raising a hand. "I'm just here for this."

She then walked up to Tiida and pressed her hand on his eye.

A small whitish blue magic circle appeared in front of it and Tiida could feel his wound healing and his sight being restored to it.

"Huh...that was...fast..." Tiida said as he rubbed his eye.

"Well, it's my specialty after all," Sayaka replied. "Well, have fun all of you. I'm going to make sure Suzaku doesn't drown himself again."

"I don't think he could even if he wanted to," Kyouko replied as Sayaka waved her off.

"I'm just seeing the other girls off," Mami replied. "I still have work to do after all."

"Homura-chan invited me to go along," Madoka said. "I'm Warrant Officer Kaname Madoka. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"But I'm totally just gonna mooch," Kyouko said unashamedly. "Corporal Sakura Kyouko!"

"Oi..." Tiida sighed. "Well...I don't think my car is going to fit everyone..."

"Don't worry about that," Mami said as she handed him a key. "Take one of the cars on base. They're not very stylish, I admit, but it should be big enough to hold everyone."

"Oh...thanks, Lieutenant."

"Be sure to come back safely okay?"

As Mami turned around to leave, Tiida felt someone elbow him in his side.

"You're staring, Captain Lanster," Kyouko said with a smirk. "Mami sure is a catch isn't she?"

"T-that's..."

"No need to be shy, it's okay to -gack!"

Kyouko was cut off by a quick and heavy chop to the head by Homura.

"If you are going to mooch then don't bother the person treating you," Homura said as she lifted her hand off Kyouko's head.

"Ow...damn it," Kyouko groaned as she rubbed her head. "What the hell, you're picking up habits from Lelouch, aren't you?"

"Who knows..."

"W-well, it's fine," Tiida said as he cleared his throat. "Let's just get going."

"By the way, what was the place called again, Captain Lanster?" Madoka asked.

"Hmm? Uh...it was Orange Confectioneries..."

"What," Homura asked in a monotone.

"The coupon I got from that TheBee guy for giving me a black eye. It's for that place."

"What."

"Something wrong, Homura?" Vice asked. "You're spacing out."

"What."

"Hahaha, I think ya broke her," Kyouko said only to get another chop on the head by the dark haired girl. "Oi, damn it!"

"Just...let's just go..." Homura sighed as she rubbed her eyes while Madoka laughed nervously.

"Wonder what's up?" Tiida asked as he turned toward Vice.

"Who knows..." the sniper shrugged.

* * *

After that, they went to pick up Teana.

The ten year old girl's eyes were shining when she heard what Homura's magic style was like and bombarded the quiet girl with dozens of questions to which, to Tiida's relief and surprise, Homura answered patiently and without blowing the younger girl off.

"Your sister has a thing for shooting magics then?" Vice asked.

"She probably wants to emulate her big brother," Kyouko teased.

"Please leave me alone..." Tiida sighed as the other two snickered at his expense. "So do you know the way to this place?"

"Yeah yeah," Kyouko nodded. "Just make a right here then keep going straight for three lights...make a left here and...it should be on your right."

Following the directions, Tiida managed to find the place well enough.

And what a place it was.

The confectionery took up a good chunk of the block on its own and had a large orange with eyes wearing an interesting mask over the left eye. The words "Orange Confectionery" were clearly seen in white letters under the orange logo.

"Glad to see his 'orange fixation' hasn't changed," Kyouko said as they funneled out the door. "The mask is a new touch though."

"It's so cool!" Teana said as she tugged on Tiida's hand. "Come on! Let's go inside!"

"What do the Corporal mean by 'orange fixation?'" Vice asked Madoka as they headed toward the door of the store.

"You'll see~" Madoka replied with a smile as Teana pushed the door open.

And Tiida certainly did see.

Inside the shop was just as large as the outside was. It was more of a grocery store than a sweets shop save it only sold pastries and the like. Aisle after aisle of different sweets, ranging from cakes to sweet bread, to chocolates, it was a massive sweet store. There were also dozens of people moving in and out of the aisles, furthering the impression that this was more like a grocery store than anything else.

Not just that, it was also massively orange. The shelves were white with an orange outline, the walls were orange, the carpets running down the aisles were orange...there were even small little flaps that said "Special Orange Sale" on it.

"Do...do I want to know what this...Special Orange Sale is?" Tiida asked as.

"It means if you have something orange on you you get a discount!" Teana replied causing her brother to stare at her. "I come here after school sometimes since my hair counts."

"Ah...hah..."

"What's really amazing though is that the owner runs everything by himself! He bakes all the cakes and orders all the sweets. He takes care of _everything_!"

"Is she serious?" Vice asked Kyouko.

"Indeed she is," came a voice to their side and Tiida turned to see an extremely tall man with turquoise hair with a mask similar to the one on the logo coming up to them. "Everything here is run by me and only me, Jeremiah Gottwald, at your service."

"Y-yeah...it's nice to meet you," Tiida nodded as he extended his hand to which the taller man shook. "Um...I got this thing..."

"Hmm?" Jeremiah mumbled as he took the coupon from him. "Ah, I understand. Then, feel free to take any twelve items you wish and bring them up for your coupon to take effect. Bagged items like the jelly beans will count as half a pound for one item."

"Twelve free items?" Teana asked as she looked at her brother with wide eyes. "You are the best!"

"Ah...ahahaha..."

"Well then, Miss Sakura, Miss Kaname, Miss Akemi, please help yourselves and come to the register when you are ready."

As Jeremiah headed towards a room back behind the register, which Tiida assumed was either his office or some large kitchen, Vice turned towards Homura and her friends.

"You know him?" he asked.

"Yes, he's an old friend of ours," Madoka nodded. "He used to be a soldier but he retired due to an eye injury, that's why he wears the mask since his eye is cybernetic."

"And he retired to be a baker?" Tiida asked as Teana headed toward the aisles with Kyouko following close behind.

"He prefers the term 'Confectioner,'" Madoka replied. "But yes."

"Seems to be doing pretty well," Vice noted. "You don't get a place this big without being in the black."

"You should try one of his orange gingerbread cakes! They're really good."

"I am beginning to wonder if I should dye my hair..." Tiida muttered as he rubbed his fringe. "I'm going blind at all this orange..."

* * *

In the end, they each got two free items with Tiida letting Teana use his free two items instead.

"Plain sugar donuts?" Homura asked as Tiida took a bite out of one.

The two of them were leaning against the wall of the outside of the store, a short distance away from the others.

"Yep," he nodded as he licked the sugar off his lips. "I prefer simple things."

"I see."

"So why were you giving Mr. Gottwald the evil eye?"

"It's not important, don't worry about it," Homura said as she took a sip of her drink.

"If you say so..." Tiida shrugged as he stuffed the rest of his donut into his mouth. "Hey Homura, you're friends with the General right?"

"I suppose so."

"Do you know why he has his kid living in his office?"

"He said that he didn't trust a babysitter that he doesn't know."

"Ah...does he have a reason to be so paranoid though?"

"As long as I've known him, he's always paranoid about something. He keeps it to himself most of the time though."

"Huh...so he's just being overprotective then?"

"I suppose so."

Tiida mulled over the information as he turned to look at his sister, who was asking Kyouko if she could try one of the candies she had bought.

"Your sister seems energetic," Homura noted.

"Hmm? Ah...yeah," Tiida nodded. "She can be a handful sometimes. She also has problems being honest with herself but it's gotten better."

"What do you mean?"

"Like...she used to ask me if I was all right back when I was in basic and then she would turn around and say, 'It's not like I'm worried about you,' or something to that effect and...Homura?"

Homura had brought her hand to her face and slowly slid it down as a tired expression appeared on her face when she looked back at him.

"It must have been tough," she said simply. "Having a Tsundere for a sister."

"Tsun...what? I'm not familiar with that term."

"Don't worry about it. It is not important."

Tiida just stared at Homura as the young woman sighed and rubbed her eyes.

"I really am acting like Lelouch more and more..." she muttered, rubbing her forehead.

"Is that a bad thing?" Tiida asked. "He seems reliable after all.

"There are some aspects of his that I can do without."

"You know, Homura..." Kyouko suddenly said, putting herself into the conversation. "If you cut your hair short, I bet you'd look just like him."

"What."

"How about putting the General in a wig instead?" Vice asked as well.

"Nah, he said he'd never do something like that again."

"Wait...he actually wore one?" Tiida asked as he and vice stared at the girls.

"Yep. With a freaking ballgown too."

"How did he phrase it again?" Madoka asked. "This mistakes of one's youth?"

"I think that was someone else," Homura replied.

"It's scary isn't it?" Vice asked Tiida. "How those scarily competent people can be so different in their private lives?"

"I suppose so," Tiida nodded, recalling how he had caught Lelouch giving his daughter a bath and being splashed by her. "You'd never think he was a SS class Mage half the time..."

"Before he is a Mage and before he is a General..." Madoka began as they turned toward her. "He is still just a man after all, and a father on top of that. He has his own troubles too after all."

"Would be better if he'd let us in on it once in a while," Kyouko grumbled. "Keeping everything to himself all the damn time."

"Someone keeping secrets?" Teana asked, not knowing where the line of conversation came from.

"Something like that," Kyouko nodded.

"Could it be that he doesn't want to bother you with his troubles?" Vice offered.

"Friends are supposed to be there to help each other though..." Madoka replied. "We would all be more than happy to help if he asked..."

"Friends should also know when to give their friends space," Homura said. "He's probably still in mourning after all."

"It's been nine months damn it," Kyouko said as she scrunched her hand over her eye. "I mean...sure I'm sad about it and miss her too but damn it, he should at least open up once in a while."

"Sometimes, it would be better to put aside those thoughts and focus on the task at hand."

"Damn it. I forgot how freaking dark you can be sometimes, Homura."

"Umm..." Teana began.

"Aha, sorry, Teana-chan..." Madoka began with a sheepish laugh. "We're talking about some complicated things right now, aren't we?"

"Umm...is one of your friends upset?" Teana asked.

"Yes...at least, we think so."

"Umm...one of my teachers at school says that 'When one shares happiness it is doubled...and when one shares sadness it is halved...though I don't quite get what she means by that..."

"So what, we need to try and get him to be happy by being happy ourselves or something?" Kyouko asked, scratching her head.

"I have a feeling that will backfire on us," Homura replied.

"Hmm...rather than him, why not share your happiness with his daughter?" Tiida suggested and the girls turned toward him. "I mean, he seems to care a lot about her right? So if she's happy, maybe he will be happy in return?"

"Will it really be that simple, I wonder..." Homura muttered.

"Maybe that's what Hayate-chan is planning at the end of the month?" Madoka asked.

"Plan?" Vice asked.

"Oh, we're having a picnic at the end of the month."

"A picnic?" Teana asked. "Can I come?"

"Oi, Teana..." Tiida sighed as Vice let out a bout of laughter at the girl's lack of shame.

"It's fine," Madoka nodded. "The more the merrier. Why don't you two come too?"

"Eh, really?" the men asked.

"Awesome! Can we, Tiida?"

"W-well...if you're sure we won't be in the way."

"Don't worry about it," Kyouko said. "Besides, you'll get to taste some of Lelouch's cooking if you go. It's to die for."

"The General cooks?" Vice asked, looking skeptical.

"That's right," Madoka nodded. "He's really good too!"

"Haha...I'll take your word for it..." Tiida replied.

"So we can go?" Teana asked.

"Sure why not?"

"Awesome!"

* * *

The month seemed to fly by with Bishop training with TheBee every other weekday while being sent on a mission every few days as well.

They managed to uncover several more warehouses and factories using information gathered by the 501st's intelligence sectors as well as from the Enforcers.

And then...

* * *

Rain was pouring down heavily against the giant trees of the rainforest.

A native bird was roosting on a branch before its head suddenly jerked up at a sudden movement on the branch, causing it to fly away, letting out a loud squawk as it hit something in front of it.

"Ow!" came a male voice. "Damn bird..."

"Easy there, Vice..." came a second one. "Don't disturb the wildlife too much."

"Don't blame me, Captain! I can barely see anything in this damn rain. Not to mention these leaves are heavy and wet!"

"Yes yes..."

A man in a brown and green hooded cloak suddenly materialized into view, perched on the branch the bird had been roosting just seconds earlier. Under the hood was a green visor, that seemed to glow under the darkness of the hood.

Seconds later, another man appeared on a branch a few trees away, also wearing a green and brown cloak with an orange visor under his hood, no doubt to try and camouflage themselves within the trees. And then, a young woman, also wearing the cloak with a purple visor, appeared on a branch just below the first man.

"But really..." Vice said as he brushed a few droplets off his hood. "This spell of yours is really neat. What was it called again?"

"Optic Illusion," Tiida replied. "Figured that it would be a good thing to learn with all this sneaking around stuff we're doing. Certainly worked against TheBee...for abut two seconds..."

"Still, it was enough," Homura replied as she placed a rectangular device against the trunk of a tree. "Communication relay online...connecting to Castle."

A communication monitors opened up in front of each of them as Mami's face appeared on the screen.

"_This is Castle..._" she asked, stifling a small yawn. "_Report?_"

"We're on site, Ma'am," Tiida replied. "Awaiting further orders...over."

"_Understood. Right now, the three of you are at the place where we suspect contains a large scale factory of some sort._"

"Only suspect?" Vice asked.

"_Yes. These are satelite images we received. The first was taken three months ago, the second one month ago, and the last three days ago._"

Three images appeared in front of them one after the other...but as far as Tiida could tell...

"They're...the same?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No wait...I think this left three is a bit bigger...no wait...it's the same..." Vice sighed.

"Are you sure there is something here, Mami-san?" Homura asked.

"_General Lamperouge seems to think so,_" Mami nodded. "_Look here._"

The images suddenly zoomed in toward the lower right hand corner on a bird's nest.

"Okay...a bird's nest...and?" Vice asked.

"Wait..." Tiida began. "Three months have passed...and yet the eggs in the nest are still there..."

"_Precisely,_" Mami nodded."_The longest incubation period of a bird's egg in this region is six weeks at the most. Therefore, we believe that there is some sort of wide-scale optical camouflage being used within that area._"

"How the hell did anyone even spot that?" Vice asked. "I mean...it's like spotting a milk drop on a white wall!"

"You'd be surprised at what Lelouch can do," Homura muttered as she scanned the area with her visor.

"Guy sounds like he's perfect to me."

"_No..._" Mami said suddenly, causing Vice to look back at her. "_The General is far from perfect...that is why he has you three here instead of going himself after all._"

"What, so it's not just bureaucratic nonsense?"

"_No, it is. It's just that if he _was_ perfect, then he'd be able to get around that, correct?_"

"Got me there, LT."

"_In any case,_" Mami continued with a cough. "_The suspected location of the base is about two kilometers from your current position. I apologize for being unable to deploy you closer, but we cannot risk you being found out._"

"The objective?" Homura asked.

"_We are not expecting you to take the base out of course. We wish for you to confirm its location and try to find out what they are building or housing there. Try to remain hidden. You are not to engage them if you can help it._"

"Understood," Tiida nodded. "Should we worry about any sensors?"

"_It would not be practical for them to place sensors around here when animals are constantly roaming both the trees and the ground. They would constantly have to check if a bird flew by or something. Besides, those cloaks are designed to mask your heat and keep you both warm and dry, combined with Captain Lanster's Optic Illusion...most scanners should be fooled._"

"So as long as a tree doesn't get hit by a freak lightning bolt, we should be okay?" Vice asked.

"Please don't say such things..." Homura sighed.

"You really wanna tempt fate?" Tiida asked.

The three of them, plus Mami, jumped when a flash of light was followed by a crack of thunder.

"If we die here...I will shoot you," Homura told him with a glare.

"Okay okay, I'll shut up now!" Vice replied, holding his hands up in apology.

"Let's...just get going..." Tiida sighed as he cast the illusion once more around them.

The other two simply nodded before vanishing from normal view as the spell allowed them to blend into their surroundings. However, they were still able to keep track of each other thanks to their visors as they assisted one another in traveling through the trees, keeping the use of magic to a minimum, instead relying on rope tethers, grappling hooks, and the sturdy tree branches as footholds.

Then after about thirty minutes of rushing through the treetops, they saw it.

"Well now, there definitely is something here,"Vice said as they three of them stared at a shimmering "sphere" in front of them that looked just like any other part of a normal forest.

"I'll take point..." Tiida said as he got to one of the closer branches and tossed a branch at the sphere.

After seeing the stick harmlessly pass through the sphere, he stuck an arm in and then the rest of his body followed through.

"Uh oh..."

"What?" Vice asked as he and Homura came through as well. "Oh..."

As was confirmed, there definitely was a base here.

A fairly large building sat in the center of a clearing where the trees had been cut down and their stumps removed. It was also surrounded by a dozen large metal circles on the ground.

"Please tell me those circles aren't what I think they are..." Vice groaned.

"This escalated quickly..." Homura muttered as she set up the communication relay again.

"This isn't just someone smuggling and creating mass weapons anymore..." Tiida whispered. "Someone wants to start a war?"

"Missile bases don't just pop out from the ground!" Vice shouted. "Where the hell did this come from? How long have they been building this thing? Or rather how the hell did they build twelve missiles without anyone noticing?"

"Calm down, Vice," Homura said as she fiddled with the relay. "That's not our concern at the moment. We need to report this, Captain."

"R-right..." Tiida nodded, thankful for Homura's constant calm and collected personality.

* * *

"They should be reaching the site soon..." Mami muttered as she bit her nail on her thumb.

"Incoming transmission from Bishop!" an operator called out.

"Put it up on the main screen..." a voice replied to Mami's side.

"Lel...I mean...General?" Mami started.

"I want to see the confirmation in person," Lelouch replied as the screen fizzed to life.

"_This is Bishop 3 to Castle..._" Homura's voice rang through the war room. "_The base has been located. Transmitting images...now._"

As the images came through on screen, followed by a live video, several of the operators whispered in worry as Mami saw Lelouch's eyes narrowed.

"As I thought..." he muttered.

"_Wait something's coming in..._" came Vice's voice.

A large transport came through the illusion field, landing on one of the runways.

"Move in for a closer look," Mami ordered as Homura and Vice moved closer. The camera seemed to zoom in as a man in white armor with a black cape around his shoulders stepped out.

"Jackpot."

"Lelouch-san?" Mami asked, forgoing his rank.

"Order them to pull out," Lelouch replied. "We got the confirmation we need. I can't act alone on this and they can't do anything with just the three of them there. I'll need to send this to the other officers and see if we can't come up with a plan of defense or..."

"General?" came one of the operators as she was running her fingers on the keyboard.

"What is it?"

"There's something strange going on with this console..."

Indeed, her console's screen was waving in and out, displaying static and...

"Get back!" Lelouch shouted as he drew his gun out.

The operator let out a scream as she leaned back and he shot the console, causing it to fizzle out.

"Sir?" another operator asked.

"Call Bishop back now!" Lelouch ordered. "Our transmissions have been intercepted!"

"But our encryption codes are known only within the TSAB high command..." Mami began just as a loud explosion came from Bishop's end.

"_HOMURA! VICE!_"

"This is Castle to Bishop 1!" Mami said quickly. "What happened?"

"_A ship!_" Tiida shouted back. "_A ship appeared out of nowhere and started shooting the place up! Vice and Homura moved a bit closer to the base in order to take the thermal pictures of the base and one the ships' fired and shot their tree down! They've landed somewhere in the middle of the base!_"

"Eii...this was supposed to be just reconnaissance!" Lelouch cursed as he began bellowing orders. "As of this moment, I am taking direct command of this operation! Get me Sakura Kyouko and Miki Sayaka! Begin scrambling Saber and Lancer teams 1 through 5!"

"They won't be able to get there for an hour!" an operator replied.

"I don't care! We need to get those three out of there! Redirect the nearest communication satellite over the combat zone and try to reestablish contact with Bishops 2 and 3! Bishop 1!"

"_S-Sir!_"

"Take your pick. You can wait for reinforcements or you can jump into enemy territory and try to link up with your squad."

"_I'll...I'll try and regroup, sir!_" Tiida replied with a nod.

"Understood. Primary objective is to extract safely with your squad! If you can though, secondary objectives are to determine the target of that base but do not take any unnecessary risks. Consider all unknown elements in the base as hostile and deal with them accordingly!"

"_Roger! Bishop 1, out!_"

"What do you suppose that ship is?" Mami asked, worrying about how her friend was currently cut off from support.

"Mercenaries most likely..." Lelouch replied, his scowl deepening. "They don't want to be identified after all..."

"They?" Mami repeated as she stood up for Lelouch to sit down at her terminal.

"No..." Lelouch said softly as he sat down. "I won't say anything without proof...set yourself up at an unused terminal and try to maintain contact with B1."

"Understood," Mami nodded as she hurried over.

"Operator Sierra, move to a new terminal!" Lelouch ordered as the operator whose terminal had been infected by the unknown Worm nodded and ran to a new one. "Operator Mazda, it may be useless but try to find the source of that Worm."

"Sir!" the operator nodded as he began working as quickly as he could.

"Now then..." Lelouch muttered as he turned to the console in front of him, depicting Tiida's location with a black triangle, the base's personnel in white, and the unknown ship in red. "What will be their next move?"

* * *

"Come on...!" Tiida muttered as he made it to the tree that the other two had been on and started sliding down the shattered trunk...

Right into a war zone.

Soldiers were being deployed from drop ships that were spilling out of the cruiser hanging overhead while more were funneling out of the base.

"Like a beehive versus an ant hive..." Tiida muttered idly as he activated Optic Illusion again and made his way around the barrage of multicolor magic and bullet fire.

He supposed he was lucky in that they were all too busy fighting each other to notice him.

"Now if only I could fine Homura and Vice..."

"Here..." a voice behind him muttered, nearly causing Tiida to jump out of his skin. Turning around, he saw Homura and Vice right behind him running towards a large container. "This way, Captain!"

"I can never get used to that Rare Skill of yours..." Vice sighed as the three of them huddled behind the large steel container. "What's the plan?"

"We hold out for one hour for reinforcements to arrive," Tiida replied.

"One hour?" Vice cried out. "We'll be cheese by then!"

"The other is to attempt to figure out why they are building all these missiles," Tiida continued as Homura clapped her hand over Vice's mouth before he gave away their position."

"Which means we have to go into their base..." Homura replied.

"It's optional and we're not to take any unnecessary risks," Tiida clarified.

"So we stay out here and get killed in the open...or we go into the base filled mass weaponry carrying soldiers and probably more light speed aliens and pray we don't die?"

"Pretty much, Vice..."

"I hate my life..."

"Into the breech then?" Homura asked.

"We're dead for certain if we stay out here," Tiida nodded.

"Ah, damn it all!" Vice shouted.

Homura nodded, the timer on her shield stopping as she grabbed both men by the hands.

Instantly, the world around them lost its color as they moved across the near frozen battlefield.

"So who are these guys?" Vice asked, pointing to one of the unknown Mages.

"The General suggested mercenaries," Tiida replied.

"Okay then...so who paid them to run a suicidal charge towards this base?"

"Plenty of people might," Homura replied, as Tiida smacked a bullet to the side so it wouldn't hit one of the mercenaries' head. "They might have been following Eternal's transport. There is a bounty on him after all."

"But..." Tiida muttered as he looked at the bodies already littering the ground. "For it to come to this. This isn't just some terrorist organization anymore. It's like another army..."

"But how is it even possible?" Vice asked. "Eternal only came to light barely a year ago right? How do you raise an army that quickly?"

"Gather enough people with the same goals as you give them all a gun and you have an army..." Homura replied evenly. "They don't even need to have your goals..."

Vice simply shook their head as they made their way to one of the underground entrances where the base's soldiers were coming out from.

They quickly made their way past the leaving soldiers, being careful not to bump into anyone, and hid themselves in an empty room, waiting for the current wave of soldiers to leave.

"Let time return..." Homura muttered as the world regained color.

Immediately, the three of them were met with a blaring alarm and someone over the intercom shouting orders at the base personnel.

"Looks like they're planning to evacuate key personnel while the grunts hold them off..." Vice muttered. "We better move fast."

Homura peeked out a crack in the door before opening it all the way as the three of them filed out and ran down the hallway.

"I don't suppose there's a directory or map or something around?" Vice wondered.

"That would be too easy..." Tiida sighed. "In any case, we better be careful. They might have set up checkpoints in order to hold off the mercenaries."

"What, you mean like one's gonna be right around this...HOLY!"

Vice skidded to a halt with Homura nearly running into him as another group of soldiers just turned around the corner.

The soldiers stared at Bishop in shock just before several purple shots smashed into their heads, knocking them onto the ground.

"Thanks for the save," Vice said as Homura lowered her device.

"I expect more to come soon..." Homura replied.

"Check them," Tiida ordered. "Maybe one of them has a map."

"Got it..." Vice said, pulling out a data pad. "Looks like the command center is...three levels down...and look-it here. Eternal's planning on making a get away on Hanger Seven should things so sour. Guess he needed another way out after they blew his shuttle up."

"The hanger is just one lever below that with an elevator to bring their aircraft to the top," Homura noted. "We can go for the command center then wait there for Eternal and steal a ship to get away."

"No unnecessary risks, remember?" Tiida asked. "For all we know, there may be more of those aliens lurking about. We'll hole up at the control systems. There's a long passage way leading to it, probably filled with turrets, but once we pass those, we'll be able to use that to our advantage."

"Hurray for cheating Rare Skills," Vice said dully as he threw his hands in the air while Homura shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"Let's get going then," Homura sighed.

* * *

They made their way to the control systems where Homura quickly incapacitated the guards and technicians in the room with a stun grenade before they bound them and left them in a corner.

"Vice, watch the hallway," Tiida ordered as Vice flipped over a table and planted himself behind it so he could look down the hallway with some cover. "Homura, help me look through this information."

"Roger," Homura nodded

The two of them sat down at a console and Homura stared scanning the files as Tiida tried to contact Castle Base.

"Come on...come on..." Tiida muttered.

"_This is Castle,_" Mami replied. "_What is the current situation?_"

"We made it to the command center," Tiida replied. "No sign of Eternal just yet, but we're looking for the control systems."

"_Understood. Again, your first priority is to determine the targets of the missiles and stop them if possible. Eternal is a secondary priority._"

"Even if getting him will save us trouble in the long run?" Homura asked.

Mami turned her head to the side as if to ask some question before turning back toward the monitor and shake her head.

"_There are three of you, Homura-san. You can't afford to take risks to your squad._"

Homura just scowled as she shook her head.

"_This is Lamperouge,_" Lelouch said as a monitor with his face appeared beside Mami's. "_Can you shut down the missiles from your current position?_"

"Negative. Looks like the missiles have a separate control system. One more level down. Sending the base map now."

"_I see...Split up here. Captain, remain here to try and redirect the base troops away from your position and from the control system. Bishop 2 and 3, move on to the control system and try to disable the missiles from there._"

"And if we can't?" Vice asked.

"_Set a timer to blow them up well after you've escaped using Hanger Seven._"

"And Eternal?" Homura asked.

"_If he's there, deal with him, but not otherwise. As much as I would love to kill him now, I would love to see the three of you back at base more. Castle Base, out._"

"So...no lost love between Eternal and the Boss-man?" Vice asked as the monitor cut off.

"What do you think?" Homura asked in deadpan.

"Back on topic..." Tiida said with a cough. "You heard the General. Back to work, Bishop. I'll hold the line here, you two stop those missiles and..."

"_**This is Eternal to all EDEN forces,**_" a voice suddenly boomed over the loud speakers. "_**I am calling Blank Slate on this base. Begin Code Re: immediately. All personnel are to fall back and evacuate to a safe distance immediately.**_"

"Why does that not sound good?" Vice asked as alarms start blaring.

"He ordered his forces to evacuate," Homura pointed out. "They may be planning to blow the place up and start up somewhere else."

"You know, I'm kinda shocked that he's telling them to run away. Guess he's not being the cartoon 'We have reserves, who cares about the men?' type of bad guy?"

"We'll discuss this later!" Tiida said as he got to his feet. "Change of plans. We all move out. I'll head to the missile control systems, you two head to the hanger and secure an escape craft."

"Wouldn't the missiles be blown up as well?" Homura asked.

"Can't take that risk. For all we know, they'll launch the missiles as they blow the base up."

"You sure you'll be okay alone?" Vice asked. "Sure I shouldn't come with you?"

"The base is being destroyed and you two are going to a place that's going to be swarming with people trying to run away. I need you to keep Homura from running after Eternal."

"I am standing right here," Homura deadpanned.

"So uh...what do we do about them?" Vice asked as he pointed over at the knocked out soldiers.

As if to answer his question, Homura suddenly had a bucket of water in her hands, which she then used to splash over the soldiers, knocking them back to consciousness.

"Huh? What...?"

"What is Code Re:?" she asked.

"You...how do you...?"

"Code Re: has been activated, so I ask again, what is Code Re:?"

"It's been...you gotta let us go!"

"So the base really is blowing up then?" Vice asked.

"Yes you moron! So let us go before we all get killed!"

"Is calling the guy who has hold on your binds a moron _really_ the best way to get loose?"

"Vice..." Tiida said slowly as Vice sighed and deactivated their binds and the soldiers immediately ran out the way Bishop entered in. "Well, that's one less thing on our conscience. Move out."

Vice and Homura nodded as the three of them made their way down the base to the control systems and the hanger.

Once they made it to the proper level, Tiida turned down a different hallway than the others.

"Okay, I'll head to the control center first. Meet you at the hanger later...or on a separate transport back out in the woods."

"See you before the fireworks go off, Captain," Vice said.

"With our luck I'll be the one setting them off."

"See you on the other side, Captain," Homura nodded as she and Vice headed to the hanger.

Nodding to himself, Vice used Optic Illusion and continued on his way.

A few minutes later, he found the control systems and poked his head in.

"Guess they already filed out," Tiida muttered as he stood at one of the consoles. "Let's see here...just what were you trying to shoot at, Eternal?"

After finding the proper files, Tiida could only stare wide eye at the map of a very familiar city.

"What...he's planning to hit Cranagan? This is bad...I need to call the General and..."

"Look what I found. A rat."

"What? Gra-?"

Tiida tried to turn around, only to be stopped by a sharp pain in his back and the front of his chest.

"Should have known the Bureau would have noticed us eventually," the voice continued as Tiida looked down to see a sharp piece of metal sticking out of his chest.

"Shit..." he cursed as the blade was withdrawn and he fell forward onto the console before being shoved onto the floor by his attacker.

"Calling a blank slate on all this work...really, what is that fool thinking? If they're already done. Why not use them rather than blow them up. Ha ha ha ha..."

Tiida struggled to look up and see who stabbed him, but all he could see was a white uniform, a red cape, and a mop of purple hair before the assailant left the room, not even bothering to look back at Tiida as his vision began to fade away."

* * *

"Coming up on the hanger in three...two...one..." Vice said as they burst through the doors just in time to see someone in a black cloak with his head wrapped in a full turban walk up to a shuttle, flanked by two guards.

"Eternal!" Homura shouted, causing the guards to turn around and for the cloaked man to hold something up over his shoulders.

A white Gaia Memory with a large "E" on it as he pressed the switch on it.

[_ETERNAL!_] the device called out before he moved it in front of himself and threw his arm to the side where the device shouted, [_ETERNAL!_] once again.

The man slowly turned around as the Eternal Armor materialized around him.

"Ah, if it isn't one of Lelouch Lamperouge's lonely Magical Girls," Eternal said as he clapped his hands together before spreading his arms out wide as if welcoming them. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Eternal...you are under arrest for the murder of C.C.," Homura said as she trained her device on him. "Resist and we will have to use force. Please resist," she added with an afterthought.

"Or not, that's fine with us too," Vice said as he aimed his rifle at Eternal as well.

"Hmm...I'd rather do neither right now," Eternal said as he put his hand to his chin in thought. "The base is set to blow in about...oh...fifteen minutes give or take?" he asked as he looked at one of his guards who nodded. "Plenty of time for the rest of the troops to get away, provided they are still alive. Your self-declared Administration Bureau actually had the galls to use lethal force through mercenaries. Definitely not Lelouch Lamperouge's style...must be someone wanting to show him up or get ahead. Either way, I rally need to be leaving now. Scorpio?"

Eternal turned toward the shuttle and out stepped a large silver creature.

"Oi...that thing looks familiar..." Vice said as he looked up from his rfile.

"The alien from the warehouse..." Homura gasped.

"Scorpio, Magical Girl and Sniper Mage. Sniper Mage and Magical Girl, Scorpio," Eternal said as if he was just introducing his friends to one another. "Do try and keep them busy would you? You don't need to kill them, just slow them down and let the base explosion do the rest. Course, no need to hold back either, I don't really mind either way. Just be sure to get out before it blows."

The creature, Scorpio, nodded as it placed its right hand over its chest in a bow before allowing Eternal into the shuttle as it stepped up to the guards, who suddenly started glowing white before their bodies were replaced by a large and bulky skeletal form.

"W-what the hell?" Vice shouted. "More of them?"

"Vice!" Homrua shouted just as Scorpio vanished. "Tch!"

"Oi oi! Don't just-" Vice began as Homura disappeared to with a click of her shield and tongue. "...Leave me to deal with two guys alone...well crap..."

He looked up at the two identical looking skeletal creatures, similar to the first form of the thing Homura was probably fighting right now.

The creatures let out a gurgling roar as they charged at him.

[_SHOOT BARRET!_]

Vice fired two shots at the oncoming creatures.

The shots connected, causing them to stumble back slightly in a shower of sparks but they quickly shook it off as they continued their charge, slamming into him and smashing him into a pillar before backing up a bit.

The first one made another move by trying to swing its large clawed arm at him.

"Don't think..." he began as he ducked under it, causing it to hit the pillar instead. and slid under the second one's arm. "That I'm just a sniper who can't fight at close range! Let's go, Bayonet Mode!"

[_OKAY! BAYONET MODE, STAND BY!_]

A long green blade extended out form the barrel as the body of the sniper rifle became a bit slimmer for him to hold in his hands, making it somewhat like a very short spear instead.

The creatures roared at him as they closed in again, but for Vice, who had been training with TheBee, their movements were awkward and bulky as if they couldn't really do much in their forms beside swinging their arms wildly at him.

He was able to duck and avoid their attacks easily as he countered by slashing at their arms and torsos with Storm Raider. However, their bulky bodies weren't just for show as the creatures seem to be heavily resistant to his attacks.

Suddenly, both creatures were knocked onto their feet as Homura suddenly reappeared between them, giving him a nod before jumping back as the Scorpion-like creature slammed one of its stingers into the floor where Homura was standing and the two of them vanished again.

"Small attacks like this won't work, huh?" he asked as the creatures stood up. Despite their bodies smoking from the points they had been hit, they seemed to be largely unaffected. "Back to Snipe Mode, Storm Raider!"

[_OKAY! SNIPE MODE, STAND BY!_]

As the bayonet vanished and the rifle returned to its original size, Vice held the gun in one arm and aimed at the ceiling.

[_ANCHOR BARRET!_]

A long green light shot out of the barrel and attached itself to the ceiling. As the creatures closed in, Vice gave it a small tug and was quickly pulled upward, out of their reach before flipping around so his feet hit the ceiling first.

[_MAGNETIC LOCK ACTIVE!_]

As his boots hit the ceiling, he found himself locked into place as he took aim with his sniper again.

"Let's try this!"

[_SHARP BARRET!_]

An arrowhead-like magic bolt extended from the barrel before launching itself toward one of the creatures before a second one was fired at the other one as well.

The shots made contact, bowling the creatures off their feet and onto the ground as Vice launched himself off the ceiling and toward the closer creature.

"Bayonet Mode!"

[_OKAY! BAYONET MODE, STAND BY!_]

The bayonet slammed into the first creature just as it was standing up, allowing vice to drive it through the creatures face and slam his gun barrel deep inside it.

The second creature roared in anger as the sniper returned to Snipe Mode.

"Fire!"

A green bolt flew out from the back of the first creature's head and slammed into the second one, followed by several more green bolts as spent cartridges flew out of Storm Edge's chamber.

Vice then kicked himself off the first creature, pulling Storm Raider out as he did, placing it on his shoulder as the creatures exploded in a white flame.

"Huh...they can be killed after all..." he muttered just as a loud cry caught his attention. "Homura!"

He turned around just in time to see Homura smashed into a wall with Scorpio holding her by her face.

"Damn it!" he shouted as he took aim at the creature only for it to pull Homura out and hold her in front of him as a shield. "You bastard..."

Suddenly, the creature and Homura both vanished as the creature let out a gurgling roar and Vice barely had time to blink as he saw the blur rush up to him.

He then found himself and Homura rolling across the ground, with Homura probably have been used as a battering ram by the creature.

"Kuh...Homura..." Vice grunted as he pushed himself up, only to see a trail of red in front of his face. Blood. "Oi, Homura!"

The trail was coming from Homura, who was clutching her stomach, where there was a large smoldering hole in her Protective Clothing.

Scorpio let out a growl as it raised its bloody right arm and walked toward them only to look towards the shuttle Eternal boarded.

Unable to help himself, Vice turned to look as well, only to see that its engines had activated and the lift it was on was slowly heading toward the surface.

Scorpio let out another growl as it suddenly turned toward the entrance and ran toward it before disappearing into its super speed.

"Damn it...didn't even bother huh...?" Vice grunted as he got to his feet and ran over to Homura. "Come on Homura, stay with me..."

But the girl had fallen unconscious from the pain. With a small grunt he hoisted Homura up over his shoulders as Storm Raider and Edge Blazer returned to their Standby Forms, a pair of dog tags and a ring respectively.

"Gotta find transport..." Vice said as he looked around and spotted a helicopter in the far corner. "Lucky day..."

"_Bishop 2, come in,_" came Lelouch's voice just as Vice made it to the helicopter and strapped Homura in. "_Come in, Bishop 2._"

"I'm here," Vice replied. "Found transport and just strapped Homura in. She's hurt bad, Sir. I'm gonna head back and meet up with the Captain and..."

"_Captain Lanster is dead._"

Vice froze in the middle of climbing out the back of the helicopter.

"W...what?" he breathed.

"_We are unable to get a reading of__Captain Lanster's vital signs,_" Lelouch clarified solemnly. "_Therefore...we must assume he is dead. You and Bishop 3 are to pull out, immediately._"

"You don't know that! The transponder probably just got damaged! He could just be injured and unconscious like Homura is and...!"

"_This is an order, Sergeant. Do not risk the lives of your entire squad just to try and save one man, especially when you have one of your squad dying in front of you right now. We cannot afford to lose all three of you. Evacuate. Now._"

The finality of the order caused Vice to grimace as he slammed his fist against the wall of the chopper.

"Damn it...FUCKING DAMN IT!" he shouted as he ran toward the cockpit, throwing his cloak off of himself, and had the lift take them to the top where several people were still fighting. Snarling to himself, he flipped on the speakers. "YOU ALL HAVE TWO MINUTES BEFORE THE BASE BLOWS! GET THE HELL OUT AND GET OUT OF MY WAY!"

With that said, he pulled the trigger on the controls, causing the machine guns to spin up and fire across the battlefield, tearing a line through the mercenaries and the base troops.

Pulling back on the controls, he took the helicopter up and into the air, flying it high over the trees as he saw several other air craft making a beeline away from the base as the ship above them tried to take shoot at them with its turrets.

"Damn it...damn it...damn it!" Vice swore over and over as he saw the base troops' transports get downed one by one.

Weaving in and out as the fire began to thicken around him.

"Come on...come on...just a bit further damn it!"

Suddenly a deafening explosion lit up the sky behind him like a second sun. Vice barely had time to look at the rear monitor before the helicopter began shaking from the force of the explosion. The cruiser had also been caught in the explosion, as it was slowly falling down to the ground which was also coming up toward their chopper a lot more quickly than he'd like.

"OH SHIT!"

The last thing Vice saw before he blacked out, was the sight of a large tree.

* * *

Was this how it ends?

_Not yet...you can't give up yet!_

But he could barely breathe and could no longer open his eyes.

_Not yet! This battle is not over yet!_

But it is too difficult to continue.

_This ending is too sad! You must keep going! Just a little bit longer! You will not be alone!_

* * *

"U...ugrh..."

He opened his eyes and was met with the sound of bangs and booms off in the distance with the occasional scream of pain.

"Still going on...?" he asked as he clutched his aching chest and pulled himself up to his feet using one of the chairs in the control room. "How long...was I out...damn it..."

The blood flow wasn't stopping as he pressed a few buttons on the console to bring back up the enemy base's missile plans along with a communication monitor.

"This is...Bishop 1...requesting update..."

"_Bishop 1?_" came a voice that was definitely not Mami's but rather the General's. "_Your vitals pinged KIA. We thought we lost you..._"

"I...I think I'm fine..." Tiida breathed. "Got stabbed...missed by organs somehow I think...update?"

"..._It's been roughly ten minutes since your vital signs flat-lined,_" Lelouch replied. "_I have since taken direct command of the remaining two Bishops. B2 and B3 encountered Eternal but was unable to restrain him and Eternal escaped the base. The two of them are currently on their way out._"

"I see...we have another problem though..."

"_What?_"

"Sending data..."

Pressing buttons on the monitor a "Data Transfer" bar appeared on it before filling up and turning into "Transfer Complete."

"_What?_" came Lelouch's startled reply. "_Are you sure about this?_"

"Yeah...the bastard who stabbed me activated all the bases missiles..." Tiida replied as he pulled out a stimulant from his pack and injected it into himself. Immediately the pain lessened and he could breathe better but he was still losing blood.

"_Kuh...they're planning to bomb Cranagan and remove all trace of their base...this isn't Eternal's style. He only goes after military targets. Is someone acting on their own? No...I can't worry about that for now. B1, you are to pull out immediately. There should still be a few helicopters or shuttles in the hanger. We will transfer the files to the Capital Defense Force and try to mitigate the damage._"

Tiida didn't reply as he looked at one of the monitors.

"Even with the defenses...what's the estimated damage?"

"..._That is unimportant. I can't afford to lose Bishop right now. I need you and your squad out, immediately, Captain Lanster._"

"...I'm not moving until you answer, General."

"_Captain! I order you to pull back immediately!_"

"I'm waiting...General."

Silence rang over the window for a moment before Lelouch spoke up again.

"_From the data you sent...the missiles will be spread throughout all sectors in Cranagan. The CDF will prioritize the defense of military installations as well as key civilian infrastructure. As such, damage to Central Cranagan will largely be minimal to moderate depending on the payload of the missiles. Civilian living sectors...will be largely ignored in favor of such but will still be defended to the best of the CDF's ability._"

"And the 501st?"

"..._Will be restricted to defending our base and the surrounding area unless we are granted permission by General Gaiz...and he and I are not exactly on speaking terms._"

"Even when lives are at stake?"

"_He wishes for the Capital Defense Corps to be more significant within the TSAB. If they are seen defending the city without outside help then their prestige will definitely go up. The data has been sent and forces are already being mobilized all around Cranagan. Now..._pull back..._Captain._"

"Is this...how the Bureau does things?" Tiida demanded as he slammed his fist down on the console, bringing up the base computer's predicted damage.

Tiida's eyes widened as he saw his own house in the middle of one of the larger dark red circles.

"_Ahh, it is,_" Lelouch confirmed. "_That is why it needs to be changed, and I need your help to change it, Tiida Lanster. With this tragedy, the Time-Space Administration Bureau will be forced to undergo a change. It is without a doubt what the instigators want. The Bureau will claim more and more power in the name of defense to the point of declaring martial law._"

"...And you wish that as well?"

"_Of course not. It will simply be a side effect of the tragedy that the 501st will also grow in power. That is why I need you, Captain. The 501st needs all the help it can from skilled men and women like yourself in order to act as a check and a balance to the power of the rest of the Bureau._"

"Are you planning a coup?"

"_The Bureau should exist for the people! For the many! Not for the sake of a few men in power! If it means completely overturning the current structure from the inside out then I will do so!_"

"And what of the people you can't save today?" Tiida asked. "Are you going to tell them 'Sorry you have to die today...but things will get better soon,' General?"

"..._Saving everyone is a naïve and child's dream. At most anyone can hope for is to save as many as possible. As a solider, you should know that._"

"...And as a soldier...it is my duty to find the best possible solution to save as many as I can...right?"

"_The only way to do that is to destroy the missiles from the base before they can be...wait...what are you planning, Tiida Lanster?_"

"As you just said...General," Tiida replied as he started continued his walk down the base, ignoring his blurring vision. "I'm taking out the missiles..."

"_You fool! There's no way to shut them down anymore!_"

"The base is going to blow up anyway...right? Might as well make it...a big one."

"_Are you planning to die, Captain, Lanster?_" Lelouch demanded.

"I'm already dead...General..." Tiida replied, looking down at the red soaked barrier jacket he was wearing. "I've already stopped feeling pain...just a few more minutes..."

"_Kuh..._"

There was a small silence between the two of them as Tiida walked down the corridor of the base, taking directions from the map he had taken from the base computers and eventually coming across several bodies of the base's personnel.

"Hey...do you mind...staying on...?"

"..._Ahh._"

"You know...there's a question...that I've been meaning to ask you...since you had me transferred, General," Tiida admitted as he found what looked like to be a key card on one of the bodies.

"_...What is it?_"

"Why me?"

"_Hmm?_"

"Why was I picked to lead Bishop?" Tiida repeated as he found an elevator. "I'm not particularly skilled...I'm just one B-ranked Mage out of hundreds...so why me...?"

"_Isn't it obvious...?_" came Lelouch's reply. "_Look at what you are doing right now...you damned fool._"

"Now?"

"_You've been stabbed, you're cut off from support, your subordinates have been ordered to leave you behind by your superior's order...and yet you keep moving. You continue to your objective despite orders to pull back as well. You cling to hope rather than fall into despair. You seek to do what you must...even without regard to your own life._"

"So it's because I'm an idiot?"

"_Whether you are or not is up for debate...but, I don't hate someone like that._"

"Haha...thanks, General...that's...a load off my mind..."

"..._It's no problem._"

Tiida felt himself smile as the elevator came to a stop.

"This is my stop, Sir..."

"_So it is..._"

"One last thing...about Teana...my sister..." Tiida said as a console demanding clearance in order to open the doors.

"_I will make sure that she is cared for..._"

"Sorry for the trouble..."

He swiped the key card through the slot and the doors opened up.

"..._I..._" Lelouch began."_I understand what it's like protecting a younger sister, Captain Lanster, even if my own doesn't need my protection anymore...there is no need for thanks. I would have done it without you even asking._"

"Still...thank you, Sir...it's...I guess it's been an honor..."

"_Indeed it has...Tiida Lanster...fa-aakzzt..._"

The monitor fizzled out as the words "Signal Lost" appeared on the screen, causing Tiida to sigh and continue the trek down a large catwalk where dozens of giant warheads were slowly rising to the top of their silos.

"There's...no time left..." Tiida grunted as he raised his device up and pointed at one of the missiles. "Hopefully...hopefully...the others are out of the blast radius...grk..."

A pain in his head flash, cutting his sight for a moment and causing him to stumble but he managed to get a hold of the railing and steady himself.

"Just a little longer...just a little longer, Tiida...then you can sleep..." he said to himself as he steadied his device again. "Hah...hah...hah...come on...Signo Braver...just one more time."

A large empty magic circle with four triangles at four different points on it appeared in front of Signo Braver's barrel as an orange light began glowing from the barrel.

The missiles lit up and smoke began to rise from their engines.

"JUST ONE LAST TIME! LEND ME YOUR POWER!"

[_LOADED!_]

"PHANTOM..."

"_Sorry Teana...looks like I'm not gonna be able to go to the picnic..._"

"...BLAZER!"

[_PHANTOM BLAZER! SHOOT!_]

"_Yeah...it's fine now..._" Tiida thought as the orange beam fired from his device and pierced through the missile closest to him, causing the armed missile to erupt.

He let out a smile as his device sipped out of his hand and became engulfed by a warm light.

"_I...saved everyone..._"

* * *

"Bishop 1...life sign...lost..." an operator said as the viewing screen became filled with several large spheres of light.

"He...did it..." Mami said as she covered her mouth and Lelouch grimaced.

"Captain Tiida Lanster..." he mumbled as he stood up from the seat. Then without missing a beat, he saluted toward the screen, causing everyone else in the room to stare at him for a moment before turning their heads back toward the screen and doing the same. With that done, Lelouch sat back down and began shouting orders. "Determine the location of Bishop 2 and Bishop 3's transponders and update Saber Longsword Squadrons and Defender Kite Squadrons immediately! At the very least we will bring those two home!"

"YES SIR!"

"Lelouch-san..." Mami said as Lelouch placed his elbows on the desk and pressed his hands against his eyes. "Perhaps you should take a break?"

"This failure is my responsibility," Lelouch replied. "I will see it through to the end."

* * *

"Shit..."

Vice groaned as he opened his eyes.

Miraculously, he was still alive.

Not so miraculously, his left leg was in a lot of pain. Looking down, the reason was obvious.

A piece of shrapnel was lodged in his thigh.

"Ahahaha...shit there goes my career..." Vice groaned as he turned around to look at his passenger in the back. Beside the fact she was now bleeding from her forehead, she seemed intact. "Ahaha...are we going to die here too...? Hmm?"

Several thuds could be heard from on top of the crashed chopper for a moment before someone started cutting through the roof just above Homura.

"All right, now pull!"

A loud groan of creaking metal echoed inside the chopper as the ceiling was pulled back like the lid of a can.

"This is Longsword 3 Actual, is anyone alive in there?" a voice asked as someone poked their head in..

"Yo...you assholes are late..." Vice called out.

"Holy...This is Longsword 3 Actual to Castle Base! Bishop is alive! All Longsword 3 converge on me!"

"This is Saber Actual, I'm heading over to you as well, Longsword 3 Actual."

"Copy Ma'am."

Several soldiers in black and silver Barrier Jackets and uniforms with a blue sword emblem on their arms jumped into the hole that was cut out of the helicopter and quickly, but carefully, pulled Homura out before they moved on to Vice.

"Help me here," a female medic gestured to one of the others.

"Tell me I'm not losing the leg..." Vice begged.

"You're not losing the leg," the medic replied kindly as she held is leg down while the other soldier, with a shield emblem instead of a sword, grabbed the shrapnel. "Would you like a bite cloth?"

"Can't you knock me out instead?"

"All anesthetics are back inside the Evac choppers."

"Bite cloth please..."

The medic gestured to her partner as he pulled out a large cloth from a bag and held it up to Vice's mouth as he bit down on it hard.

"Okay, on three. One...two...three!"

Vice had expected her to lie and do it on two so he bit down and tried to tune out the pain on "one."

Of course, there was only so much one could do to tune it out so he more or less screamed into the cloth as the medics yanked the piece of metal from his leg and a soft white light began glowing around his leg and the woman's hand.

"You're..." Vice groaned as he spat the cloth out. "Homura's..."

"Yeah, Miki Sayaka," the medic nodded. "Now hold still so I can close the wound."

Vice nodded as he felt his leg get better already, even if it still felt a bit stiff.

Then the two of them extracted him from his chair and lifted him out.

The sight in front of him woke him up completely.

The forest was gone.

All those trees had either vanished completely or reduced to husks of charcoal.

All around, them, several other Mages of the 501st were scrambling around, pulling soldiers out of helicopters and evacuation shuttles. Most of them dead, most of them luckier, and most of them...not as lucky as the others.

"You two are heading out first, of course," Sayaka said as she and the other Mage helped drag Vice to a clearing where Homura was lying on a stretcher. "Oi! Bring another one over here! Priority!"

"Ma'am!" one of the Longswords replied as he rushed off.

"This is Defender Actual," the soldier that was holding Vice up said. "Get me a transport for two on my location. Prepare blood transfusions."

"Why haven't you sealed that wound yet?" Sayaka shouted at one of the medics attending Homura.

"We're trying, but it keeps opening back up!" the medic replied. "It's like there's something in it..."

"Let me see!"

Sayaka knelt down beside Homura and held her hand over the wound to seal it up, only for her eyes to widen as the wound slowly started ripping itself open again. "What the hell...? Come on heal damn it! Don't let this happen again!"

"Sayaka," the soldier holding Vice up said. "Let Shamal-san see her . For now just keep the wound bound and keep her supplied with blood. It won't be like the last time!"

"R-right..." Sayaka nodded as a large transport landed close to them and several more soldiers with a shield emblem stepped out with stretchers.

"Get these two on board now! No stops until you get back to base!"

"Sir!"

The soldiers saluted the one holding Vice before Vice was handed off to the newcomers and the man went back to searching through the wrecks of other helicopters.

As Vice and Homura got secured into the helicopter, they began to take off, turning against the epicenter of the explosion for Vice to see the results of their mission.

The base was gone, lost somewhere in the very center of the crater.

Along with his friend and captain's body.

* * *

"Message from Saber and Defender Actual," one of the operators called out. "Bishop 2 and Bishop 3 are alive and stable and are being sent back to base for treatment."

"Thank goodness..." Mami sighed as she placed her hands over her chest.

"At least _something_ went right..." Lelouch muttered as he pressed his hands over his eyes. "How was this supposed to be according to my plans? Has the wish died along with myself...? No matter...have the Longswords continue searching through the wrecks with Kite on standby. Let's see if we can't get some enemy survivors and...what now?"

"I-incoming transmission coming across all channels!"

"What was that...?"

"_People of the Time-Space Administration Bureau!_"

"Huh?" Lelouch turned toward the main monitor, only to see Eternal standing in the center of the camera was, "Eternal!"

"_Hear me now! My name is Eternal, the Kamen Rider representing Eternity! Hear us! We are EDEN._"

"EDEN...?" Mami repeated as she turned toward Lelouch who was staring at the monitor with a mixture of shock and disbelief.

"This is...how did he..."

"_You fools that trounce across the stars under the name of peace, you who claim to protect those that fall under your banner, you who claim to be righteousness! What ridiculousness! The Bureau is nothing more than a organization that seeks to horde the weapons of a bygone age...and for what? Is the galaxy not at peace? Are your worlds not clean of an outer-worldly threat? No...that is but an excuse! The Bureau seeks nothing more than to claim the weapons that could raze every single star in the sky for their own, for once they have amassed enough of them, they will force every planet to fall under their flag or face total annihilation!_"

"_They continue to spread their lies...that they seek these weapons...these so called 'Lost Logia' in an attempt to control them and keep them away from those that would use them for evil...and yet...they have no problems annihilating anything that would keep them from doing so!_"

The video feed fizzled slightly as several images were superimposed over Eternal's visage. Many of them depicted several TSAB vessels firing down upon a planet, causing several explosions visible even from space.

"_These images were taken from a TSAB ship that was part of the blockade of Non-Administrative Planet 108 shortly before it was destroyed a few weeks before by my hand alongside the inhabitants of said world. The ship was one of many commanded by the late Admiral __Paseo before his demise alongside the rest of his base._"

The images changed and showed a ruined base burning in the distance.

"_The Admiral's task force touched down on this planet and the inhabitants, the Natives, an alien non-human species that call themselves Worm, attempted to communicate with them, only for their attempts to be met with hostility, culminating with the orbital bombardment of their once lush and green world. Their cries for justice and vengeance are one of many that reached me from across the stars, so I traveled alone, broke through the blockade and rescued every last survivor from their dying planet._"

"_But their thirst for vengeance cannot be satiated with the death of one man! He was but a cog in a much larger machine known as the Bureau! How many others are out there? How many other voices have been silenced by the Bureau, deemed too dangerous to see the light of day?__These Worms seek justice for the crimes done to them...less than a million remain of their once proud race...silenced in burning fire by those that feared what they did not understand._"

"_And so, I claim...we are EDEN! We shall create a Utopia for those that do not wish to live under the rule of the TSAB. We shall fight against their tyranny and their vicious hunt for weapons of war. They use magic that can rip apart space itself and yet claim to protect space. How can they do that when their very officers send Lost Logia to underdeveloped worlds, ignorant of magic, and decide to risk the lives of six billion people for a chance to destroy it forever?_"

"Wait a minute..." Mami said as the images changed once more. "That's...!"

"The Book of Darkness..." Lelouch muttered, his eyes narrowing.

"_The Book of Darkness! A vile Lost Logia that dates back to the time of Ancient Belka that destroyed countless worlds before it was finally defeated on this backwater planet...not by Bureau Mages...but by magic users native to that planet!_"

"Where is he getting this information?" Mami asked. "That was confidential to only us, Admiral Lindy's people and those at high command...!"

"From Paseo's databanks most likely," Lelouch replied as he saw images of the Riders, Mages, Knights and Puella fighting against Witches and the renegade Defense Program. "And since the glorious higher ups decided to cover up this incident...everything that Eternal reveals here will be taken by the public as the truth."

"_The book in question was handed to a young orphan who had the potential to be a mage, where the book began to feed on her linker core for years, rendering her legs useless, preventing her from living a normal life. The Bureau was perfectly willing to sacrifice her, her entire city, her entire planet...for a chance to not destroy...but to freeze and put the book to sleep...merely _hoping_ that it would never rise again...and the man responsible for the event simply retired and decided to spend the rest of his short life in a retirement home...needless to say..._" Eternal said as he extended his hand out and closed his fist. "H_is retirement is over and justice has been served._"

"Report! Former Admiral Gil Graham's retirement home has been breached! The situation is..."

"Irrelevant!" Lelouch cut the operator off. "That is not our problem right now!"

"_Hear me now!_" Eternal roared once more. "_We are EDEN! We seek a galaxy free of the machinations of those in the Bureau! Be you human...be you Worm...be you otherwise! We seek a galaxy where your voices will never be silenced! We are EDEN! We will not stand aside and let those with power trample those too weak to fight for themselves!_"

"This is...!"

"_We are EDEN! We will continue our retaliatory strikes against TSAB military installations until every last one of those that have orchestrated these events are brought out to open and receive the judgment that their victims call for!_"

"_We are EDEN!_" Eternal roared as he stretched his left arm out, throwing his cape behind him."_Those without power...come to us! We will not involve you in our war of righteousness!_"

"_We are EDEN_!" Eternal roared once more as he stretched his right arm out, throwing his cape behind him. "_Those with power...prepare to fall before us! We are EDEN! We shall create our utopia amongst the stars!_"

A roar of applause came from wherever it was that Eternal was projecting from as the camera panned out. Hundreds upon thousands of figures were standing up in the stadium he was in. His support base was strong and filled with those that corrupted members of Bureau had wronged.

"This is..." Lelouch snarled again as his hands gripped the edges of the desk he was sitting at. "Is this Destiny's idea of a joke? Is this karma? Am I still being punished...?"

"Lelouch...san..." Mami muttered as her terminal suddenly beeped. "This is...Lelouch-san!"

"What _now_?"

"Several files are being sent through every channel within TSAB space! They contain lists of various backdoor deals taken by various officers within the TSAB! Bribery, blackmail...even assassination?"

"Show me," Lelouch said as he took a deep breath and sat back down as his terminal began receiving the information. He skimmed through several of the supposed "assassination" events...and he found a certain plan involving a theft of a "Lost Logia" followed by the schematics of the vault it was contained in along with a certain hospital with a certain room number. "I see...so that's how it was..."

"You don't think..." Mami began.

"I highly doubt it," Lelouch said as he leaned back in his chair. "I would have died in a few months anyway...on the other hand, perhaps they couldn't take the chance that I would pull off some miraculous recovery once I gotten my early 'posthumous' promotion...but whether or not this is true...it is pretty damning evidence and all those involved in it will be under a lot of heat. Operator Sierra, how many officers have been implicated?"

"Almost...ten percent of the ground forces and twenty percent of the navy..."

"I would love to see how this will turn out...but as it's my job, I can't just wait. have Tower Platoon on standby in case of civil unrest."

"Sir!"

"Mami?"

"Yes, Lelouch-san?"

"Do you mind if I leave the rest to you. Oversee Bishop's hospital stays and fees...as for..Bishop 1's last requests...I'll take care of those."

"Understood. Please get some rest and leave everything to me."

Lelouch nodded as he sat up and Mami took his seat while he left to head back to his main office.

Opening the door, he saw Einhalt sleeping peacefully in her crib, hugging her plushy with both arms. The small picture of peace calmed him down as he gently stroked her cheek.

"I am going up against an opponent who sees the world as I do...a corrupted and disgusting world under the guise of peace" he said. "He chooses my old path, to take a stand and openly fight against them while I stand and face them from the inside like Suzaku did. The colors are even the same, albeit reversed this time."

Einhalt cooed as her hand reached up and grabbed his own.

"I don't know what I would have done without you," he said as he carefully pried his hands from her grip. "Without you...where would I be? Would I be out there with Eternal? Or would I have taken the mantle as my own...after all...if anyone is eternal...it is me..."

* * *

Madoka took a deep breath as she stood outside of the hospital room. She had finally managed to finish her work and get permission to visit Homura in the hospital.

But before she could knock on the door, the door opened up and a small girl appeared at the door.

"Excuse me," the girl said with a quick bow as she stepped to the side.

"Oh no, please," Madoka said as she stepped to the side as well.

"Thank you," the girl replied as she turned around to give one last bow toward the inside of the room before leaving.

"Your sister, Vice-san?" Madoka asked as she entered the room where the two surviving Bishop members were being held.

"Yeah," Vice nodded as he rubbed his head. "Her name's Laguna, six years old. Been visiting me every day after school."

"I see," Madoka nodded before turning toward Homura who wasn't meeting her eyes. "I'm sorry I haven't been able to visit. Are you okay, Homura-chan?"

Homura didn't respond and instead, just shook her head.

"You mind telling us what's been happening, Warrant Officer?" Vice asked. "You're the first one in the Bureau that's actually visited us, not counting the hospital staff."

"Well...umm...Captain Tiida's inquiry has finally finished..." Madoka said slowly.

"We're not going to like the results are we?" Vice asked as Homura looked up.

"According to High Command..." Madoka began slowly. "Due to Tiida Lanster's...'incompetence' in failing to apprehend Eternal when given the chance...he is to blame for the civil unrest the public is currently experiencing due to EDEN's revelation...all of it..."

"They're making him a scapegoat?" Vice near shouted. "Even though he died stopping those missiles?"

"They tried to blame _all_ of Bishop," Madoka clarified. "However...Lelouch-san...no...General Lamperouge said that blame falls squarely on the commander of the operation...therefore..."

"So basically...in exchange for letting Tiida's name get dragged through the mud, Homura and I get to keep our jobs...is that it?"

"Yes...I'm sorry..."

"This is how the Bureau does things...?" Homura finally asked. "And they are surprised that something like EDEN popped up? Don't screw with me...grh..."

"Homura-chan, be careful," Madoka said as she quickyl rushed over to her friend's side. "Your wounds will open up again."

"I don't care..."

"What about his sister, Teana?" Vice asked.

"The General will be looking for someone to take care of her temporarily while the service is being planned for Captain Lanster."

"Service?" Homura asked.

"Lelouch-san felt that it was the least he could do after failing him and...to perhaps give Teana-chan some closure after what happened. The two of you can come if you wish. It will be held tomorrow and we can get you both discharged early if you want to."

"Shall we go, Homura?" Vice asked after a moment's thought with a grimace. "...Say goodbye?"

Homura didn't respond at first as a grimace spread across her face as well.

Finally, she nodded.

* * *

The grounds were silent as Homura watched the empty casket be lowered into the grave.

She had wondered why Lelouch was bothering with this service when there was no body, but Madoka did suggest it was for Teana Lanster's sake. The ten year old girl was staring at the casket with empty and emotionless eyes as if she had no more tears left to shed for it.

Would it really give her a moment of reprise?

Turning around, she was fairly surprised at the turnout.

The funeral was not mandatory by any means, and yet it seems the entire base came out to it. She had only expected her friends, Teana, and Vice to show up. But for the entire base?

And each and every one of them had a similar expression in their eyes.

Sorrow for a loss comrade. Or outrage at the injustice the Bureau had thrust upon him at his death.

Lelouch however, kept an impassive face as he pulled a white flower from one of the bouquets and walked towards Teana and held it up to her.

"It's not the same...but this will be your last chance to say goodbye," he said softly.

Teana looked at him before taking the flower from his hands and walking toward the grave. Looking down at the casket, she held her hand forward to drop the flower...but she didn't let go. The girl obviously knew everyone was waiting on her as she shook her hand to try and let the flower go.

Concerned whispers began breaking out behind her as the girl's entire body began to shake before she fell to her knees and broke down crying.

Homura couldn't help but turn her head away towards Lelouch as if wanting to blame him for the girl's current predicament before she walked up to Teana and placed her hand on her shoulder. Immediately, the girl spun around and began crying against her chest, the white cyclamen flower still clutched in her hands, unwilling to be released.

Who would be ready for such a thing? To say farewell to the only family you've ever known?

_"Homura,"_ came Lelouch's voice in her head._ "Can I ask you to take her to the side and look after her for a moment?"_

_"Very well," _Homura replied._ "But I think Mami would be better for this."_

_"I don't think she's giving you a choice in the matter."_

Homura gave a resigned sigh as she slowly stood up. Pulling the younger girl to her feet as well and dragged her over to a small wall to sit on so the ceremony could continue with Lelouch sticking his shovel in the mound of dirt and placing the first patch down into the grave with Suzaku and the rest of his guards following suit, filling the grave up.

Finally, once the grave was filled, Lelouch stepped behind it and turned to face the crowd.

"Tiida Lanster is the first of us to fall in the line of duty," he began as he placed a hand on the tombstone. "And while I wish it wasn't so, he will not be the last. Our battle against the SS-Class Criminal, Eternal, and his forces will force many of us into the same situation as Lieutenant Colonel Lanster found himself in."

"One life to save many. It is a simple thing that all of us will statistically accept without hesitation. If the offering of a single life will save the lives of millions, we would all take it. That clear line of acceptance however, blurs when that single life is our own."

"I neither ask nor expect any of you to make the same sacrifice that Tiida Lanster made that day. Due to the nature of our operation, you can see that the chances of no one outside the base learning of your sacrifice is high and the chance of becoming ridiculed and becoming a scapegoat are even higher!"

"The higher-ups of the Bureau do not, will not, and will forever refuse to see the threat that Kamen Rider Eternal poses to us all! They do not see the connections of the increase of mass weaponry and the decrease of crime throughout the Administrative Worlds. Eternal is gathering up an army. An army that consists of races other than humans. You all have seen the reports of Bishop. Of the insectoid creatures that are able to move at speeds faster than the naked eye can track. How many more races are out there that the Bureau is keeping a secret from the public? How many more will join Eternal in his attempt to destroy the Bureau?"

"How many more will be forced to fight? How many more will we watch die? How many more empty graves will we bury? How many more times will we see these expressions on our comrades' faces? On the faces of those that will be left behind?"

Homura noticed Lelouch's eyes roll over to her direction, or rather in Teana's direction. Several other people were looking at her as well, no doubt taking in what Lelouch was saying. But Homura knew what Lelouch was talking about, and it had nothing to do with Teana as his acting would have people believe. Replace the plural person pronouns with singular person ones...and the speech would be about him instead. An immortal that will eventually watch everyone around him die.

"But we of the 501st will reach past those eventualities!" Lelouch continued, drawing all eyes back on him. "We will be both the shield and the dagger of the Bureau. We shall openly defend our worlds from attack and we shall strike at our enemies unhindered from the shadows! Henceforth, I hereby dub the 501st Battalion as the Black Knights!"

"The Black Knight is a symbol of one who carries no code of honor and no standard on a battlefield. And why should they? There is no glory in wars. Only dead men and the ones standing over them. We will use everything at our disposal to succeed in our duty! We shall strike fear and awe in ally and enemy alike! We shall show everyone, from Mid-Childa to the farthest of the Nonadministrative worlds exactly what it means to meet us on the field of battle!"

Lelouch swung his cape around him as the symbol of his old Black Knights appeared on a large monitor above him.

There was neither cheering nor applause. Everyone knew it was not the appropriate setting for such a thing. But Homura could see it in their eyes. They were prepared for the upcoming hardships and quite a few already looked ready to die for it.

"In memory of the first Knight to fall, I hereby dub this the Lanster Memorial cemetery. All Black Knights will be laid to rest here unless they wish otherwise and a memorial will be placed instead. Those that die performing a sacrifice on the level of Tiida Lanster will be posthumously awarded the new Lanster Star and their relatives will receive a small but generous stipend every month for ten years. But I will make it clear right now. I do _not_ want to hand this award out at all, do you understand me? I expect each and every one of you to come back alive from each and every one of your missions. Do not disappoint me. Dismissed."

The crowd saluted their general and slowly began to dissolve with only a few people staying behind to talk afterward.

"General sure knows how to stir the crowd," Vice said as he came over and sat down next to Homura.

"That he does..." Homura replied dully.

"So...what happens to Bishop now?" Vice asked slowly as he looked at Teana. "I mean...we're down a squad member after all...and I'm not really going to be moving much with this leg..."

"Bishop is hereby disbanded, Sergeant Granscenic," Lelouch said as he walked up to them with Suzaku and the other Puella behind him.

"Disbanded?" Homura asked.

"That's right. As of this moment, your squad no longer exists, both on and off the record. It will be impossible for Bishop to ever regain its former glory so your talents will be redirected elsewhere. That's not to say the two of you won't ever be working together again of course."

"Yes sir," Vice said as he stood up and saluted him while Homura settled for a sitting salute as Teana still hasn't released her grip on Homura while Lelouch leaned down toward Teana.

"You must think poorly of me, for turning your brother's service into a promotional speech."

Teana however shook her head, causing him to smile slightly as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a silver star with a black trim attached to an orange band that had a crest crest on it that Homura recognized as the symbol of the Black Knights Lelouch led as Zero.

"This isn't much compared to what your brother has done for us all, but it's the very least I can do for you right now," he said holding the medal out to Teana.

The girl stared at it for a moment before accepting it and uttering a quiet, "Thank you" in response.

Lelouch nodded as he stood back up.

"As she no longer has any living relatives, we need to decide what to do with Teana soon," Lelouch said, causing everyone to look at him.

"Just like this?" Sayaka asked.

"Just like this," Lelouch nodded as he pulled out several forms. "Tiida Lanster didn't have an official will, understandable due to his young age, and thus if no one claims her, Teana will be sent to the Saint Church's orphanage on Karnarog. She should have gone a few days ago, but I managed to delay it so that she'd be able to attend her own brother's service."

"I...don't want to go to an orphanage..." Teana said softly.

"So she says," Lelouch said with a sigh. "Is there anyone you want to go with?"

As if to answer him, Homura felt Teana's grip tighten on her arm.

"You cannot be serious..." she found herself saying as everyone turned to her. "I am only eighteen and I have no idea how to raise a child..."

But Teana's grip only tightened at that.

"Yeah but you're also the only one she knows aside from me," Vice said as he scratched his cheek. "And I think I'd be an even worse pick."

"Don't run away before you even try it!" Homura snapped, deliberately not looking down at the girl that was currently tugging on her arm.

"Oh, why don't we give it a try, Homura-chan?" Madoka asked. "Who knows, it could be fun."

"Think of it as training for the future," Mami added. "If you need any help, feel free to ask me."

"You planned this didn't you?" Homura looked at Lelouch with accusation in her eyes to which the man simply smiled in response.

"How could I possibly plan what someone would do before I have even met them?" he asked as he held the papers out to her. "Here are the forms you need to fill to take custody of Teana. Be sure to fill them out and mail them before the day is over."

"Smug bastard," she thought as Lelouch handed her the forms and turned on his heel before walking off with Suzaku and Mami following close behind him.

"Do you need to head home and pack, Teana?" Madoka asked as she knelt down beside the girl.

"No..." Teana said softly. "I already did and the General had them sent somewhere..."

"Oh...so that's why there was that large truck in front of your house," Kyouko suddenly said.

"What?" Homura asked as she turned toward her.

"Mami and I passed by your house on the way here and we saw a truck parked in front of it with people leaving packages in front of it. We thought you guys ordered new furniture or something so we didn't mention it. Guess it was the kid's stuff."

Homura stared at the red haired girl before she grit her teeth and glared at the direction Lelouch went off, picturing the smug smile he no doubt had on his face.

"The general sure pulled a number on you, Captain," Vice said as he patted her on her shoulder.

"Shut it, Sergeant!" she snarled at him and he quickly held both his hands up in front of himself. Homura took a deep breath to calm herself and sighed while Madoka took a look at the forms that Lelouch gave her. "I better get a raise for this..."

"Ah..." Madoka gasp as she pulled an envelope from the stack. "It's a paycheck."

"Let's...go home before I go and kill him..." Homura sighed as she palmed her face.

"Right then," Vice nodded. "I'd say see you tomorrow but who knows where I'll end up, so I'll just say, see you later, Second Lieutenant Akemi. It's been a pleasure."

"You too...Corporal Granscenic," Homura replied as the two of them saluted each other. "May we end up working together again someday."

"Here's hoping."

And with that, Homura pulled on Teana's hand slightly as they walked off with Madoka close behind.

* * *

**Author's End Corner**

**Harouki**: I'm done! It's here! It's finally here! A little late but it's here!

**Lelouch**: You're really adding a lot of things while keeping things the same, aren't you?

**Harouki**: I can't talk now! Must write the Christmas chapter now! You three handle the rest!

**Sayaka:** And he's gone.

**Hayate:** Shall we just close up then?

**Lelouch**: Might as well.

**Hayate:** Be sure to look forward to the next chapter of StrikerS on December 25th, 2012!.

**Sayaka: **That is if the end of the world doesn't come first.

**Lelouch**: Superstitious fools...Persona Magi Madoka Magica may not be updated this month after all as the writer is currently occupied elsewhere. Until next time, everyone.

**Sayaka/Hayate**: Bye bye!


	4. Chapter 4: This Precious Family

**Chapter 4: This Precious Family**

* * *

"Father, over here!"

"Yes yes, slow down there, Einhalt."

Lelouch walked after his three year old daughter as the girl ran down the sidewalk, spinning around under the falling snowflakes.

It was the Christmas season...technically. While Mid-Childa of course doesn't have "Christmas" as a holiday, Lelouch and his fellow Earthlings still got in the mood of Christmas and celebrated the actual holiday between themselves come the twelfth month and Einhalt had been practically bouncing off the walls in anticipation for the first Christmas she'll probably remember.

Provided she doesn't sleep through it like the last three.

"Over here, Father!" Einhalt called out as she waved him over to a food stand.

"What is this?" Lelouch asked as he turned. "A...croquette stand?"

"May I have one, please?"

"Sure. Which one do you want?"

"I want...that one!" she replied, pointing to the potato and cheese one.

A wry smile stretched across his face. Somehow, Einhalt liked cheese dishes almost as much as C.C. liked pizza. Perhaps it was because she grew up with Cheese-kun plush toys which somehow retained the smell of pizza.

"Then, two of these please," Lelouch said as he pulled out his wallet.

"Thank you very much!' the owner said as she handed them their order in a white bag.

As soon as she did, Einhalt started reaching for it but Lelouch pulled it out of her reach.

"Wait until we're sitting down before you eat," he said as she pouted slightly but didn't say anything as she ran a bit forward and started looking around for a bench.

"Ah, over here!" she said as she trotted off, forcing Lelouch to quicken his pace before he lost sight of her in the crowd.

Einhalt led him to a bench where she looked at him expectantly.

"Really now," he said with a small laugh. "It's not like I'm going to eat these myself. Here you go."

"Thank you!" Einhalt said as she ate the snack with a wide smile on her face.

"Is cheese really all that good to you? Cheese pizza, cheese ravioli, cheese fries, grilled cheese sandwiches, mozzarella sticks, macaroni and cheese..."

"Yep!" Einhalt said with a smile. "I also like the smell."

Lelouch's mouth stretched into a wry smile as he shook his head and took a bite of his own snack. It was fairly good although he could barely taste the cheese in his.

"So, do you have any idea what you want as a present yet or should we look around a little bit more?" he asked.

"Can we look a bit more?" Einhalt asked. "We haven't seen everything yet."

"Very well. Hurry up and finish your food then."

Einhalt nodded as she started wolfing it down only to start choking on it slightly, forcing Lelouch to quickly smack her back and hand her a water bottle.

Really, she was a handful sometimes...

It was probably due to her shoes. Kyouko had noticed that Einhalt always wanted to be carried around everywhere so she bought Einhalt a pair of shoes that lit up whenever she took a step. And now his daughter wanted to walk _everywhere_.

Still, at least he didn't have to carry her.

"Ah...! Over here!"

Einhalt pointed over to a store and ran toward the door as Lelouch looked up at the store's name.

"A bookstore?" he asked, tilting his head in confusion. "I had expected her to want a new plush toy or some sort of doll, but a book?"

Nevertheless he followed her inside.

"What are you looking for?" he asked.

"Um...a book with stars," Einhalt replied.

"Stars? You mean constellations?"

"What are constell...consta...con...?"

"Never mind. Let's take a look around and see what looks good then, okay?"

"Okay."

They spent about an hour looking around the store until Einhalt was happy with. It was a star map of all things, showing vast sections of the galaxy on each page.

"Are you really happy with that then?" Lelouch asked.

"Yep!" Einhalt nodded as she hugged the bag in her hands before putting it in her backpack.

"Okay, let's head back home then," Lelouch said as he took Einhalt's left hand.

As the two walked down the sidewalk Lelouch felt a slight tug on his hand, telling him Einhalt was slowing down her pace just slightly.

Looking down, he saw that she was looking at the sidewalk across the street. Following her gaze, he saw she was looking at a young boy around Einhalt's age, give a or take a few years older. He was walking in between a man and a woman, holding his father's hand in his left hand and his mother's in his right hand.

Turning back down to Einhalt, he saw that she was staring at her own empty right hand for a moment before using it to grab Lelouch's hand and look up at him.

But Lelouch had already looked away from her, trying desperately to keep his face impassive and hide the grimace that was slowly forming.

He was failing magnificently.

* * *

"_Deck the hall with boughs of holly!_"

"_Fa la la la la la la la la!_"

"_'Tis the season to be jolly!_"

"_Fa la la la la la la la la!_"

"Jeremiah...Zafira...please...SHUT UP!"

"Now now, Lelouch-san, there's no need to be a Scrooge," Hayate said as she patted his arm.

"My house is being invaded by my so called friends, putting a large pine tree that they got from who knows where, decorating it with the obvious intention of making me take it down after Christmas by myself...AFTER CHAINING ME TO MY ARM CHAIR!" Lelouch roared out the last bit as he struggled against his bindings.

"They're not chains," Kyouko said. "They're binds!"

"SAME DIFFERENCE!"

"Come now, Lelouch, it's the Christmas season," Suzaku said as he plopped an antler headband on his friend's head.

"This is disturbingly familiar..." Lelouch growled as he shook his head left and right trying to remove the headband as he was unable to use his hands before letting out a sigh and looking around his house.

Hayate and Kyouko were busy decorating a large pine tree they had acquired from somewhere. Earth most likely...considering pine trees didn't grow on Mid-Childa. Zafira and Jeremiah were placing decorations in the hallway while singing carols, much to his irritation. Mami, Sayaka, and Shamal were in the kitchen making dinner preparations. And lastly, Vita and Reinforce Zwei were in the back yard playing tag with Einhalt, as the three year old attempted to chase after the duo who could fly through a field of waist deep snow, giggling all the while as Signum chose to be the responsible adult and watched over them.

"Madoka's not coming after all?" Suzaku asked Sayaka who shook her head.

"She's visiting family with Homura and Teana," Sayaka replied. "Nanoha and Fate are probably doing the same."

"Nanoha huh..." Lelouch sighed as he leaned back in his chair. "Haven't seen her in a while. One would think she's avoiding me."

"Weren't you the one avoiding her?

"I am almost twenty-four years old. Why would I avoid a fourteen year old girl?"

"Because you're a sissy like that?" Kyouko offered and Lelouch simply glared at her.

"Funny. Why don't you untie me and say that again?"

"You think I'm stupid or something?"

"Must you _always _make me answer that question? Yes."

"Hey!"

Everyone shared a laugh at Kyouko's expense as Lelouch shook his head and looked out into the garden as Einhalt was jumping around trying to catch Reinforce Zwei in her hands. His daughter turned around and saw him watching, to which she responded by waving at him before turning back to her catching game.

"I think you did a good job, Lelouch-san."

Lelouch turned his head to see Hayate standing next to him.

"You sure?" he asked. "I still tear my hair out every night worrying that I'm doing something wrong. Sooner or later I fear that Child Services will come in and take her away."

"Don't worry so much," Hayate said as she patted his shoulder. "Look how happy she is."

"And yet, we're still no closer in finding out her nightmares...not even moving back into the house has helped at all...though...is this really the conversation we should be having when one of us is more or less a prisoner in his own home right now?"

"It's to keep you from doing something you would regret later."

"I regret allowing you all into my home right now."

"See? Better to keep you from doing anymore regretting now."

Lelouch barely managed to let out a sigh when a loud squeal came from the garden followed by a shout of "Oh crap!"

Turning his head so quickly that he felt it crack, he saw Signum running over to Vita and Reinforce Zwei, who were busy trying to dig out a pair of hands that were sticking out of a snow pile under a tree in the garden.

"What the hell are you doing out there?" he roared as he started shaking back and forth in his armchair.

"Oh my..." Hayate muttered as they managed to pull Einhalt out of the snow pile and bring her the shivering girl inside.

"D-d-do it again!" Einhalt said in spite of her chattering teeth.

"Perhaps later, when your father does not want to inflict bodily harm upon Vita," Signum replied, looking at Lelouch who was still attempting to extract himself out of the chair and get at Vita.

"It wasn't me!" Vita said quickly. "Rein was the one who ran into the tree!"

"Ehhh?" Rein protested. "But you were the one who pushed me into it!"

"Just get me out of this chair!" Lelouch shouted, only to continue to be ignored as Mami came over and took Einhalt from Signum.

"Let's go get you into warm clothes before dinner, okay?" Mami asked and Einhalt responded by sneezing off to the side and nodding her head.

Lelouch's mood became even more sour as he watched Mami take Einhalt upstairs to get changed along with Jeremiah and Zafira starting up a new carol of Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer with Rein being their unfortunate reindeer while Signum walked over to tell them to settle down.

"Just give me a break..." he sighed as he felt someone tug on his arm. "Vita?"

"Hey, you mind if I asked you something?" Vita asked, not really meeting him in the eyes.

"You just did, but I'll allow another question."

"I'm being serious here, Lelouch."

"And I'm being serious about being let out of this chair and yet no one seems to..."

He cut himself off however as he saw that Vita wasn't even cracking a smile.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I..." Vita began before grimacing as she looked around to make sure no one was listening to them. "I need to ask...do you...blame us?"

"Blame you? Who do you mean by 'us' anyway?"

"Me...Sayaka...and Nanoha..."

"...Why would I blame you? It was my operation, my fault, my choice...my consequences. If anything, I should be apologizing to you all for making you see something like that."

Vita didn't reply to that as she turned her eyes to the side. Lelouch's eyes narrowed a bit before he let out a small sigh.

"I do blame you for tying me to this chair though."

"Why do you got to turn everything into a joke?" Vita demanded, finally looking up at him.

"Because if I don't, I'd go crazy."

"What, like you're not already?"

"Now who's making jokes?" Lelouch asked as he arched a brow.

"Vita-chan, can you help me over here?" Shamal called over.

"Kay~"

With that, Vita left Lelouch to brood, still tied to his chair.

"Well...at least no one tried to put a mistletoe above me..." Lelouch sighed, trying to take refuge in that small silver lining.

* * *

Dinner was a rowdy affair but interesting if only due to the fact that everyone still refused to untie him with Mami and Hayate having fun trying to feed him. Trying in that his quickly diminishing pride refused to let them.

Only when Einhalt tried to do it for him did he relent.

Finally, after dinner finished and everyone except Mami and Kyouko left, the latter having fallen asleep on the couch, was Lelouch able to be released.

"I hate you all," he said indignantly as he rubbed his arms.

"But it was really fun, wasn't it?" Mami asked.

"For you maybe...is Einhalt in bed yet?"

"Yes, I put her to bed half an hour ago...but I need to talk to you about something, regarding her."

"What is it?"

"Actually...I've been meaning to bring this up for a while now, but I haven't been able t find the words. It's about something she asked me a few weeks ago..."

* * *

"_Umm...Aunt Mami?"_

"_Hmm? What is it?"_

"_Why don't I have a mother?"_

_The dish Mami had been washing slipped out of her hands and clanged loudly in the sink. _

"_I'm sorry," Mami said quickly as she picked the dish up to make sure she hadn't cracked it. "What did you say?"_

"_Umm...why don't I have a mother?" Einhalt repeated as she poked at her macaroni and cheese with her fork. "All the other kids have one..."_

_Mami opened and closed her mouth a few times before she shook her head and found the words that she wanted to use._

"_No...you do have a mother," Mami replied. "She's just...not with us anymore."_

"_She's not?" Einhalt asked looking like she wanted to cry. "Why?"_

"_Because a very bad man took her away to...a place where your father can't reach her."_

"_A bad man?" _

"_The bad man you see on the news," Mami clarified._

"_Is that why Father wants to catch him?" Einhalt asked. "To get Mother back?"_

"_That...I don't think...I don't think he would be able to even if he did catch him."_

"_Is...is she really that far away?"_

"_...Yes."_

"_Can't she come back on her own? Where is she?"_

"_She's..." Mami began trying to figure out how to put it. "I am not sure where she was taken, but many people believe people taken by bad people are taken to a place far past the stars."_

_Einhalt continued to look disheartened, causing Mami to quickly add, "But wherever she is, I'm sure she's looking for a way back to you and your father as well."_

"_Really?" Einhalt asked hopefully. "Then...if I find her in the stars, will she be able to come back?"_

"_I'm...not sure if that is how it works..." Mami began before quickly adding, "But I never tried it myself so I can't say for sure..."_

"_Thank you, Aunt Mami!" Einhalt said happily as she returned to her lunch while Mami continued to look on in worry._"

* * *

"I see..." Lelouch muttered after Mami retold her account. "Certainly explains why she wanted to go outside all the time and why she wanted a star map of all things..."

"I'm sorry," Mami replied with a bow. "I did something unnecessary..."

"No, it's okay. She put you in an awkward position and you needed to find a way to break it to her. She'll give up eventually and 'leave it to me' in the end when she finds it to be an impossible task."

"I...suppose so. But I still feel like I have done something terrible..."

"There was no 'correct' answer there. It's fine. Do you need help taking Kyouko out?"

"No it will be fine," Mami replied as she walked over to where Kyouko was sleeping and tossed her over her shoulder like a potato sack.

"Yeah," Lelouch nodded as he showed Mami and Kyouko out.

"Are you sure you don't want to tell Einhalt-chan about Santa?"

"Please. Why would I want to do that? She would want to travel all the way back to earth every Christmas if I did."

Mami let covered her mouth as she let out a giggle while Lelouch chuckled at his own joke.

"But really...even if it is just a children's tale...I want to keep the lies I say to her to a minimum," Lelouch said, averting his eyes. "I still haven't told her the truth after all."

"Does she really need to know?" Mami asked. "She could be perfectly happy never knowing..."

"Maybe..." Lelouch muttered as he thought went to the other Einhalt. "Or maybe it will cause a rift between us when she finds out later in life. It isn't something that one can keep a secret forever."

"While I believe it would be fine if you never tell her, I'll support your decision either way. After all, they say family is a bond beyond just blood. You are her father, and nothing anyone says will ever change that."

"Maybe...goodnight, Mami."

"Goodnight, Lelouch-san. See you at the Christmas party in four days."

* * *

She waited until she heard the car drive off and the sound of her father entering his room reached her ears before she got out of bed.

During the last few weeks, she felt that the best time to look, was during bedtime.

She knew Aunt Mami and her father would be upset if they caught her staying up late, but this was just the best time to search, when so many stars are out in the sky.

Taking out a small flashlight she kept next to her bed, she flipped it on and pulled out her Christmas present she got from her father and carried it to the window.

There she stood on her bed and carefully pushed the window up. Ignoring the cold as much as she could, she sat herself on the windowsill with the map spread out over her thighs as she shined the flashlight up into the sky.

With a map, it should be easier to look, right? And there were more stars out tonight than last night.

And so, she looked.

She compared the stars in the sky with the map on her lap. Most of the stars were up there tonight.

She wondered how those stars shined one day and not other days.

She wondered if other people out there were also looking for their mothers too.

She hoped she could find her before Christmas.

It would probably be the best present she could ever give her father.

And maybe, she would be able to go on walks with both of them and hold both of their hands.

She let out a loud sneeze which was followed by a groan.

It was really getting colder and colder as the days passed.

She should stop searching early tonight before she got sick and worry everyone.

She slowly got down from the windowsill and closed the window before walking back to the bookshelf and carefully storing her present.

She then walked over to her desk where a small photograph, not even as big as her hand was resting in a frame just as small. A picture of all the adults when they were younger.

She still couldn't believe how Aunt Hayate or even Miss Nanoha and Miss Fate were all once shorter than Miss Madoka, and that Miss Madoka was even shorter than she was now.

It was also the only photograph that she had that contained her mother, one that she had gotten from Uncle Suzaku in secret.

When she asked why they didn't have more, he told her that it was because seeing her mother's face in pictures caused her father to become sad since he couldn't see her in person so she should take extra care that her father never sees it.

So she kept the picture behind the monitor of the computer she had and only took it out at night so she could see her mother's face before bed.

"I hope you can come home soon, Mother," Einhalt said as she placed the frame back where it belonged and quickly got back under the warmth of her covers.

Hopefully, the nightmares will be short tonight.

* * *

Lelouch let out a small sigh as he rubbed his eyes and stared at the thermostat.

Even with the Code, these cold mornings were murder on him.

Didn't help that he had a very bad habit of sleeping at his desk, leaving him very stiff whenever he woke up.

Still, at least he got to work at home, only having to show his face at base once a week to show that he was still alive.

The fact that EDEN seems to be popping all over the map didn't help things either.

"And those Worms..." he muttered. "Enemies that arrived on Earth in the original Zect Rider world. Makes sense that they would also exist in his parallel universe even though they never came to Earth over here. But...one million Worms. The TSAB will be outmatched if even a handle of the stronger ones decide to attack at once."

Shaking his head, he got up from his desk to head down to the kitchen to cook breakfast, stopping at Einhalt's room to wake the girl up.

"Einhalt?"

He opened the door to see the girl squirming a bit under the covers as she squeezed the Cheese-kun plushy in her arms. When he called out to her though, the squirming stopped as the girl slowly sat up and turned toward him.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty," he said as she rubbed her eyes and let out a big yawn.

"Morning..." she greeted him as she continued picking the sand out of her eyes.

"Come now, don't rub your eyes," Lelouch said as he grabbed her hands. "Go wash your face and get dressed. What do you want for breakfast today?"

"An omelet."

"Cheese?"

"Yep!"

"Hahaha...very well. Can you brush your teeth by yourself?"

"I'm not a baby anymore, Father!"

"Until you are taller than my knee, you'll always be a baby to me."

"That's not fair! You're too tall!"

"No, you are just too short."

Einhalt pouted and crossed her arms at him, causing him to chuckle again as he poked her cheeks, causing the air to push out of her mouth.

"Muu!" she grunted as she shook her head.

"Yes yes, now go get cleaned up."

"Kay~" Einhalt said as she slid off the bed and headed to the restroom.

"_Having fun are we?_"

"It's one of the few things left that I enjoy," Lelouch replied.

"_One wonders who the real child is here._"

"Well, don't think about it too hard," Lelouch said as he turned to walk out the door. "Anything strange happen last night?"

"_Nothing too unusual, though she was sneezing in her sleep. The cutest little things really._"

Lelouch simply shook his head with a small smile as he closed the door behind him.

* * *

Einhalt let out a small sigh as she walked back into her room after brushing her teeth and washing her face. The smell of breakfast made her want to rush downstairs right away, but she had to change out of her pajamas first.

As she walked toward her closet, something outside the window caught her eye.

"Hmm?"

It was big and white and was barreling right toward her window.

"What is...?" she barely managed to ask before the thing crashed right through her window, scattering glass and wood all over her room.

* * *

Lelouch had just barely finished mixing the eggs when the crash and scream reached his ears.

"Einhalt?" he asked as he dropped what he was doing and ran up the stairs toward his daughter's room. "Einhalt, what is-"

His next words were caught in his throat at the sight in front of him.

A large armored creature stood with its back towards him in the window sill having stopped to turn around when he had entered the room.

Lelouch recognized it instantly.

It was the same creature Bishop had encountered twice over a year ago.

"Worm!" he shouted before his eyes darted toward a tuft of green hair in its arms. "EINHALT!"

The Worm let out a gurgling growl as it quickly leaped out of the window.

"You bastard, wait!" Lelouch shouted as he jumped out the window after it.

Amongst the remains of the bedroom, was a small picture frame; its glass shattered and frame crushed having been stood on by the large Worm.

* * *

Lelouch ran after the Worm, leaping from rooftop to rooftop, ignoring the groans of protest that his legs and chest were giving him.

"You bastard, give me back my daughter!" he shouted after the Worm as it continued to hop across the rooftops with amazing agility. "Kuh...if it's like this..."

Reaching into his coat, he pulled out a large white belt buckle with a purple gem in the center and placed it around his waist as he ran. A long black belt shot out from one side and wrapped around the back of his waist, connecting to the buckle's right side.

He then held up a card depicting a masked man in pink armor with a green visor for eyes.

"Henshin!" he shouted as he thrust the card into the belt buckle.

Nine armored shadows shot out from the belt before slamming into him, granting him the armor that was on the card, the armor of Kamen Rider Decade.

Wit the armor on him, he was able to close the distance between the two of them.

The Worm let out a growl as he stopped on a large building and turned around to face him.

"You bastard!" Decade shouted as he pulled out his sword and lunged at the creature only for it to hold Einhalt in the way of the blow. "Kuh!"

He stopped his attack, the blade striking down on the roof instead before he found the Worm's fist impacting against his helmet, sending him sprawling to the right as two more Worms appeared behind the first one. The new ones were still in that strange bulky form that Bishop had saw the first Worm was in originally.

They were classified as "Pupae" considering that they seemed much weaker than Scorpio and the fact that he "shed" that form when provoked by Bishop and to keep with the insect theme the Worms had going on.

The first Worm seemed to be ordering the other two around as he handed Einhalt to one of them.

"As if I'll let you!" Decade roared as he pulled out a pair of cards.

[_MAGICAL RIDE! HOMURA!_]

[_ATTACK RIDE! OVER CLOCK!_]

And the world turned monochrome.

Taking his chance, he made a break toward Einhalt with his sword at the ready.

But as he expected, the Scorpion-like Worm started moving and quickly blocked his sword strike with its arm.

"GET OUT OF MY WAY!"

The sword smashed against its stinger causing its knees to buckle, but with a growl it easily threw him off, forcing him to slide a bit as he landed back on the roof.

"Kuh...he defeated Homura after all..." Decade growled as the world regained its color and the other Worms started to run. "I won't let you get away!"

[_ATTACK RIDE! BLAST!_]

Training his gun on the Worm that wasn't holding Einhalt, he fired at it just as it was making a jump to another building, causing it to fail its jump and fall all the way down to the street, landing in a loud crunch in the alleyway before an explosion rang out in the morning air.

Scorpio Worm let out a roar of anger as it charged at Decade.

Sword met stinger as the Rider managed to block the sting, only to find himself being pushed back by the creature's brute strength.

It was as if the creature's blind fury of seeing its fellow fall before its eyes was fueling all its strength.

"What strength..." Decade grunted as he pushed its arm away and jumped back, only to see that the other Worm was making tracks. "Einhalt! Shit!"

That momentary distraction was all it took for Scorpio to go into Clock Up and smash into Decade.

One moment he was standing on his feet, the next he was upside down in the air as something smashed into his chest. And then his head, before finally grabbing his legs and throwing him down into the alley where he crashed through the fire escape, knocking the armor off him before landing painfully on a dumpster while facing the sky.

As he stared back up at the roof, forcing and begging his code to heal his shattered spine, he saw the Worm glare down at him before vanishing.

"Move..." he begged his body. "Move! Please move!"

"Accursed pests! I told you all to find a different place to live!"

A sharp voice came from somewhere to Lelouch's left.

Turning his head, he saw the steel door of the building open up a a very irritated man wearing an apron and holding a broom came out. When their eyes met, the expression changed to one of surprise instead.

"Your Majesty!" Jeremiah said as he dropped his broom and ran over to him. "What happened? How are you so injured?"

"Get...me...up!" Lelouch breathed and Jeremiah obeyed after a moment's hesitation.

"Sire?" Jeremiah asked again once Lelouch's body stopped aching.

"They got her..." Lelouch said. "The Worms...EDEN...they took Einhalt!"

"Lady Einhalt?" Jeremiah repeated. "How...?"

"From the house of all things! Smashed through the window!"

"Do...do we know where to find her?"

"Yeah..." Lelouch nodded as he pulled out a bloodied device from his coat. "It may have seemed paranoid of me at the time...but during the last dentist appointment, I had a small chip installed into one of her teeth..."

Jeremiah just stared at his lord in disbelief as the little device began tracking Einhalt's location.

"It's just one of her baby teeth, it will fall out later!" Lelouch snapped.

"I did not say anything, Your Majesty," Jeremiah replied loyally.

The device then beeped and the two of them looked down at it.

"...They were that close?" Jeremiah asked.

"It might be a forward base..." Lelouch reasoned. "We need to hurry before they transport her off world and we may never be able to reach her..."

"I swear I will stop that before that happens," Jeremiah said dutifully as he placed a hand over his heart. "Shall we move immediately."

"Yes...do you still have that thing I gave you?"

"Of course. It is in the garage. What do we do when we get there? Shall we attempt to bring them in?"

"Jeremiah...do you see any uniforms or badges on us right now?"

"Sire?"

"We aren't going there to arrest anyone, Jeremiah. We are simply a father and one of his friends looking for his daughter who went missing outside the city. That is it."

"...I understand, Your Majesty. I will show no mercy."

* * *

Einhalt opened her eyes and found herself lying in the dirt.

"Where...am I?" she wondered as she looked around.

It was cold, much colder than it was in her room. She thought she could hear water dripping somewhere a bit further away.

"Father?" she called out in the darkness. "Aunt Mami? Uncle Suzaku? Aunt Hayate? Anyone?"

"Ah...just shut up you little brat."

"Eh?"

A loud bang echoed in the darkness causing her to flinch and back away from the source.

"Colonel Curtis," came a second voice. "I thought our orders were to avoid contact with the girl until Eternal arrives."

"Don't question me Worm," the first voice ordered before a shower of sparks lit up in the distance. "You creatures owe us for your survival. So keep silent until spoken to."

Several guttural growls sounded out in the distance followed by what sounded like the cocking of weapons, causing Einhalt to fall to her knees and cover her ears with her hands as the noises made her skin crawl.

"Be that as it may be," a third voice, this one female, spoke out. "You are a guest in our hive. Do not presume you can walk in here and order us around as if we're your slaves, Human. Our debt is to Eternal and Eternal alone."

Einhalt let out a small gasp as she tried to back away from the voices as much as she could but the area she was in was small and cramped...like a cage.

The area in front of her suddenly lit up and to her horror, she could see what was in front of her. Several people in white uniforms bearing a stylized blue emblazoned on their armored chest plates, all carrying various guns and blades. Beside them on the other side of the cave were large black Worms, all growling and snarling at the man in front of the other soldiers who was wearing a cape with two swords strapped to his waist.

"Father...help me...!" she cried softly as she pressed herself against the wall of her cage to keep as much distance between her and EDEN as she could.

"Heh, the brat calls out for her father, how cute."

"Colonel, there's something approaching our location..."

"What?" Curtis demanded as he grabbed a device from one of the soldiers. "How did...you!"

"Eh?"

Einhalt barely gasped in confusion as Curtis slammed open the door of her cage, stomped on her and grabbed her by her arm.

Einhalt started screaming as she tried to get away from the man but he easily held on and lifted her up by her neck, and started waving a strange device around her before smashing it across her cheek and dropping her onto the ground.

Pain seared through her jaw as she started coughing at the ground, seeing red water coming out of her mouth along with a few teeth.

It hurt...

It hurt a lot...

She wanted to cry but she was scared.

She wanted to cry but she didn't want to get hurt so she stayed silent and backed away from the man, clutching her swelling cheek and leaving a puddle on the ground.

"Don't you have better things to do then beat on a larva, Human?" the second voice from earlier asked as one of the Worms that was on the ground stood up.

Curtis snarled at the Worm before spinning on his heel, grinding her teeth into dust before exiting the cage and turning toward the Worms.

"What are you waiting for? Move!"

The Worms growled at him but the one in the front, a tall black Worm with red forearms and feet and large spikes extending from its shoulder blades and shoulders with two red spheres embedded into its chest raised its hand up to calm them down.

"We move to defend our Hive," it spoke in a feminine voice. "Not on your orders, Curtis. Know your place or We will make you see it."

The man simply scoffed as he turned and walked away with the soldiers falling in behind him.

The Worm next to the female one, one that was also mainly black like she was with red spikes extending out of its forearms and shoulders turned toward it and let out a growling noise to which the female simply growled back.

It let out an even louder growl as it pointed toward Einhalt, who flinched and shrunk under its scrutiny before throwing its arm out and pointing at the direction that Curtis left from but the female simply growled again, causing the Worm to snarl in anger before turning toward the other Worms in the area and jerking its head, causing them to funnel out behind him leaving the female and another Worm, one whose chitin like armor was black and green instead with a sunken head like a greens skull and a large orb attached to its right hand like a mace.

The second Worm was staring at Einhalt with its eye-less sockets before turning toward the female Worm, which was probably their leader of some sort, and growled inquisitively at her with its left hand pointing across its body toward Einhalt.

The female growled back and shook its head for a moment before giving a curt nod to which the green and black Worm returned before opening the cage door and walking toward Einhalt.

Einhalt's breath started to speed up as she tried to shrink away from the Worm as it came close before stopping about three feet away from her and placing something on the ground in front of her. It then turned around and walked back out of the cage, closing the door behind it.

Einhalt lowered her hands and looked at what the creature had left behind.

It was a rag.

She looked back up at the creature and it met her eyes, figuratively speaking, and it started moving its hand across its face as if wiping something something off of itself.

Einhalt unconsciously moved her hand across her lip and found it dripping with blood. Looking back down at the rag, she carefully picked it up and held it against her mouth to try and wipe off the blood.

The Worm seemed to nod in satisfaction before turning its back toward her.

* * *

A dozen soldiers trained their guns at the gate, ready for the intruder to come bursting in. they were assisted by several defense turrets behind them, placed on the walls of the base.

"Target reaching firing range of outer turrets in five...four...three...two..."

KABOOM!

The outer turrets suddenly exploded in balls of flame, knocking several of their operators off the wall in heaps of burning flesh.

Before anyone else could react, a black and golden motorcycle flew up over the gate and through the explosion as a mechanical voice called out [_ATTACK RIDE! SIDE BASHAAR!_]

The pink Rider held onto his bike tightly as the bike turned into a miniature two-legged walker which began firing missiles at the soldiers around him. The missiles flew out from the machine's arm before splitting off into dozens of smaller missiles and began destroying the entire courtyard, leaving no trace of anyone.

"This is K1," Decade said as the walker lowered itself so he could descend easily. "I have eliminated all resistance in the courtyard.

"_This is N5,_" came a voice inside his helmet. "_I have cleared the way into the base for you, Your Majesty. Please give me my next directive._"

"Attempt to find a map of the base and find out where they are keeping Einhalt. Move swiftly and silently. I will use myself as a decoy to draw as many enemy soldiers away from you as possible. Your goal is to safely extract Einhalt at all cost. Do not show mercy to your opponents. Her life is your number one priority."

"_Yes, Your Majesty!_"

Decade nodded as he bent down and picked up a sword from one of the corpses and held up a card from his Ride Booker.

[_MAGICAL RIDE! SIGNUM!_]

The nameless sword in his hand burned and was replaced by Signum's Device, Laevatein.

"Just wait a little bit longer, Einhalt," Decade said as he pulled his Ride Booker into sword form as well, wielding both weapons in his hands as another unit of soldiers came rushing to greet him. "Father's coming."

As he turned to face his enemies, Laevatein shot out a spent cartridge and began to burn in purple flame. He held both blades at his side as he walked down the entrance way.

"Those who wish to stop me may try to do so!" he declared, his voice carrying the air of majesty down the hallway. "So long as your rage matches that of my own!"

"Fire!" one of the officers ordered and they all discharged their weapons.

Bullets rained down the hallway, sending sparks all around Decade as they bounced off his armor, the floor, the walls and even the ceiling.

However, Decade pressed onward, ignoring the pain as he held the blades in front of him to protect against most of the bullets.

"Weak!" Decade shouted as he brushed past the first line of soldiers. The ones to his right screamed as their arms were severed from their bodies with their weapons cut in half while the ones to his left started rolling on the ground, covered in purple flames. "You wish to take on the Black King with such weak forces? You who have dared to trespass within my castle walls shall receive no more mercy!"

He cut a bloody swath through the base as every soldier he came across he put down with prejudice. Even those that tried to run past him were not spared from his wrath.

Though as he continued through the base, he noted that it seemed to be going deeper underground and the base was becoming more and more "wild" as the steel plated walkways and walls were replaced by dirt and rocks

"_But what was the point of this?_" Decade wondered as a pair of troopers charged at him with blades, only to be cut down unceremoniously in an instant. "_A ransom? No, Eternal made it perfectly clear that they went for military targets and kidnapping children goes against that and would lose them their support of any 'oppressed' citizens. Were they trying to lure me out? If so they would have prepared more than just this to throw against me. A decoy? Castle Base hasn't tried to contact me at all...what is going on? Hmm?_"

Decade stopped as something new appeared in his path.

A pair of troopers wearing blood red armor with black faceplate with a golden "E" on their chest. One was wielding a spear while the other was wielding a sword. The one in the spear stood in front of him while the one with the sword stood behind him.

The spear user struck first with a stab with the sword user following up by swinging his blade at Decade's head.

Decade stepped forward and knocked the spear to the side with the Ride Booker blade before spinning around and knocking the red trooper's blade aside with Laevatein.

The spear user followed up by leaping forward, taking a swipe at Decade as he passed which Decade blocked by holding Laevatein against it.

The troopers were now standing in front of Decade but the sword user was trying to get behind him by jumping off the wall and taking a slash at Decade's head again but he managed to duck under it stopping short as the spear tried to take his head off as well before using the Ride Booker Blade to block a back swing.

The attack didn't stop there as the spear user attempted three stabs which Decade managed to weave back and forth to avoid.

On the third stab, he kicked the tip of the spear away but the spear user barely even flinched as he somersaulted forward, blocking one of Decade's attacks as he passed, forcing Decade to quickly turn around to face them again, only for the sword user to run up and kick the Ride Booker Blade out of his hands and fr the spear user to slam his spear into the ground, run up to Decade as he was disorientated and kick off his chest, knocking the Rider back.

Decade stumbled for a moment before quickly raising Laevatein up to block a blow to his neck by the sword user by grabbing the tip of the device to brace it, knocking the sword away.

The sword user didn't falter as he tried three more strikes against him. Each blow was quickly blocked with the last blow being slammed downward to block the spear user from stabbing him.

"Laevatein!" Decade ordered as the device shot out another spent cartridge and the blade was bathed in violet flames once more.

Swinging his blade at the sword user's blade, he cut through the trooper's sword forcing the trooper to back away before flourishing the blade at the spear user as he attempted to stab Decade again, only for the spear to be cut in three places, just barely missing the troopers fingers as he quickly dropped the spear and the two troopers backed away, raising their fists as they did.

Decade smirked as he held out his hand, allowing Laevatein's scabbard to appear in his hand and sheathed the blade before putting it aside as one of the troopers attempted to kick him.

He easily knocked the leg aside with his right arm before bringing it back upward to block a swing from the other one and punch him off his feet.

The trooper jumped back to his feet before jumping forward in a series of kicks only to be caught by the throat and smashed into a wall. The second one tried to help his ally by lunging at Decade's back but Decade quickly drew Laevatein out of its sheath, slashing the trooper he was holding up the middle before turning around and stabbing the second soldier through the chest, holding him up in the air for a moment before pulling the blade out and letting the trooper fall dead to the ground.

"Whew..." Decade sighed as he allowed Laevatein to vanish and pick up the Ride Booker. "Even EDEN has some Elite soldiers, huh...I better make note of that for later. Hmm...?"

A low gurgling noise echoed throughout the cave-like hallway he was in.

Decade barely had a second to react by turning and raising his blade up when a large black blur smashed into him, knocking him onto his back and causing him to slide across the ground before rolling back up to his feet.

A trio of Pupae Worms stood in front of him. Unlike the ones from earlier, their chitin armor was black as night instead of white.

"A different ethnicity like humans perhaps?" he wondered as he raised his sword defensively as the Worms attempted to circle around him into his blindsides. "This might be troublesome..."

* * *

Jeremiah moved quickly and quietly through the tunnels of the strange base.

He didn't like the fact that he was to be the one sneaking while his lord was to be the bait, but he will follow his orders. Lady Einhalt's life was at stake after all.

It had been years since he wore his assassin clothes given to him from the Geass Order, but he felt they were appropriate in a situation like this.

As he made his way through the base, he came across a pair of guards that were rushing down the hallway, no doubt making their way to his lord. He may as well assist in lightening Lelouch's load.

Looking around quickly for a hiding spot but being unable to find one, he quickly jumped up toward the ceiling and used his cybernetics to hang from it.

If it was one thing he learned in his life on the battlefield, it was that people do not look up.

And indeed, the enemy troopers just ran right under him, allowing him to drop down behind them and quickly reach down toward their legs and pulled, causing them to fall forward onto their faces. They barely managed to let out a gasp of surprise before he swiftly executed them by driving his arm blades into their backs.

Flicking the blood off of his blades, he quickly continued his path, stopping at a corner to peek around it, where he saw another guard walking toward him.

Jeremiah waited for the guard to come to him before he struck.

His right arm shot forward, grabbing the trooper by his neck and slammed him against the wall.

"Where is the girl?" he demanded as the trooper struggled in his grip. "I will not ask a third time! Where is the girl?"

"I...I don't know!" the trooper responded.

"Then you are of no use," Jeremiah replied as a blade extended out of his left arm.

"Wait wait! Don't kill me! I'll talk! I'll talk!"

"_Coward_," Jeremiah thought as he retracted his blade. "Well?"

"She...she should be on the Worm Hive's floor! Down at the bottom!"

"My thanks."

With that he drove his fist into the trooper's stomach, knocking him out, before tossing him to the side.

"I now have a destination," Jeremiah said to himself as he continued deeper into the base.

Whatever Lelouch was doing up on the base had successfully allowed Jeremiah to rush through the base, neutralizing any guards he came across without much trouble.

"Running around blindly is taking too long," Jeremiah muttered as he came across another pair of troopers. He kicked the one to his right in the back of his leg, causing him to stumble before grabbing the second one and moving him between himself and the other trooper.

The first trooper had reacted to the kick by attempting to swing the butt of his rifle at Jeremiah, but because of Jeremiah's human shield, the rifle struck the second guard across the face, knocking him out leaving the first guard to be easily knocked out with one strong punch to the jaw.

Turning towards the door they were standing in front of, he searched through their bodies and found what seemed to be a key card for it.

Swiping it through the lock allowed the door to open up and he saw only a single trooper manning the cameras. Moving quietly behind the man, a single monitor caught his eye.

"_Lady Einhalt!_" Jeremiah gasped inwardly. "_She's alive! But..._!"

A small strangling noise of shock and anger slipped out of his throat causing the guard to turn around, only to find a blade extending through his back and out his chest, piercing his heart.

"You cretins dared to strike her face...you dared to spill her blood?" he asked as he leaned close to the dying guard. "My mercy is truly at an end now. I had thought that my lord was simply blinded by rage and I had hoped to prevent something like another mutiny...but I see that his rage is now my own. You all will perish."

Jeremiah cast one last pained look at his princess, still clutching a blood soaked rag against her mouth before looking at another camera to see his lord fighting three black Worms at once.

"Another type? I need to hurry!" Jeremiah muttered as he quickly brought up a map of the base. "I see...this does go deep underground...like an insect hive..."

All of a sudden, the area around Decade and the Worms erupted in flames.

"My Lord?" Jeremiah shouted.

"Freeze!" Jeremiah's head jerked up as he turned around to see a pair of troopers aiming their guns at him. "Hands in the air!"

"Or you will do what?" Jeremiah asked.

They responded by opening fire on him, only to gasp in surprise as the bullets bounced harmlessly off of his chest.

"W-wha? He's bulletproof?"

That was all they managed to say before blood sprayed from their throats and Jeremiah walked past them out the door, leaving them to crumble to the ground and choke on their blood.

"No more fooling around," Jeremiah said as a large mechanical wasp began buzzing around him. "I must retrieve Lady Einhalt before she suffers any further. All other lives are unimportant. Hen...shin."

The wasp landed on his hand before he placed it on the bracer on his left hand and fastened it into place with a small twist.

Several golden orange hexagonal panels began spreading themselves across his body as they changed into a large bulky white and gold armor over a black body suit.

"So says Kamen Rider...TheBee!"

* * *

"Kuh...friendly fire...?" Decade asked as he used his sword as a crutch, turning to look at the fallen Worms for a moment before turning the other way to see a squad of soldiers with rocket launchers aimed at him a violet haired man wearing an EDEN officer uniform and a red cape smirking behind them. "You are...?"

"Curtis! You bastard!"

Decade turned toward the new voice, only to gape in surprise as a Worm appeared next to one of the burning Worms on the ground. Unlike the others, this one was in a second stage form like Scorpio Worm was. The fact that it could speak a TSAB recognized language pulled him into a loop.

"Why did you open fire on us?" the Worm demanded.

"You Worms were taking far too long to handle a single man," the officer, Curtis, replied as he looked down on the Worm. "My forces will do the rest."

"What are you...?" the Worm began before turning his head back and forth as if looking for something. "You bastard...are you disobeying orders?"

"No...I am simply taking advantage of an...opportunity, if you will."

The Worm let out a guttural growl as he it turned toward Decade before turning back at Curtis.

"You are playing a dangerous game, Human," the Worm snarled as he swung his arm to the side. "The Blackthorn Hive will have no part in this."

And with that, the Worm entered Clock up as he ran around, picking the bodies of his fellows and vanished deeper into the cave.

"Humph, suit yourself."

"What are you..." Decade began before he quickly ran across the room and dived behind a rock formation as the troopers open fired on him. "Kuh...too many of them...then I'll use this..."

[_MAGICAL RIDE! NANOHA!_]

[_ATTACK RIDE! AXEL SHOOTER!_]

Raising Heart Excellion appeared in his hands as pink orbs began to form around him. Taking aim at the wall in front of him he shouted, "Shoot!"

The orbs of magic shot forward at the wall, only to curve away from it and back at the troopers, who shouted in shock as the shots smashed into them.

"Next!"

[_ATTACK RIDE! DIVINE BUSTER!_]

Spinning the staff around his hand, he turned himself around so that he was facing the EDEN Troopers and fired the charged beam attacked towards them, blasting them out of the way and clearing a path toward Curtis who hadn't moved an inch.

"GO!"

[_MAGICAL RIDE! KYOUKO!_]

As the now red colored Rider hopped over his cover, he charged toward the colonel.

Curtis only smirked as he grabbed one of his troopers who had been knocked over by the Divine Buster by the back of his neck and lifted him up into the path of the spear. The trooper was skewered but it also knocked the spear to the side.

"You bastard," Decade shouted. "You'd use your own troopers as a shield?"

"The troopers are there to serve their commanders!" Curtis retorted. "Besides, aren't you the one killing them? Who are you to lecture whose life is precious?"

"Lecture?" Decade repeated as Kyouko's spear vanished from his hands. "Each life is precious to someone in their own way. But, I do not consider the lives of you EDEN soldiers precious to me as you are my enemy. However, from the fact that you are willing to throw away the lives of your own soldiers, you must be prepared to face the consequences. Only those allowed to kill, are those who are prepared to be killed. So tell me, Colonel Curtis, are you prepared to die?"

"That is funny, coming from you," Curtis said as he snapped his fingers, causing a screen on the wall to light up. "Do you like?"

"Wha-"

Decade stared at the image as the picture became clearer.

It was Einhalt, kneeling on the ground with a pair of swords locked under her neck, wielded by two of the red clothed troopers. Her eyes were red from the tears that were flowing down her face as she looked up toward the camera.

"_Help...me..._" she cried as she stared at him.

"Einhalt!" Lelouch shouted as he held his blade at Curtis. "You bastard...!"

"Your belt," Curtis said. "Remove it and hand it over."

"_Ngh..._" Einhalt squirmed as the blades moved up closer to her neck.

"Ngrh...guh...grr..."

Decade's arm shook as he looked from Einhalt and back toward Curtis. Another shriek from Einhalt broke his resolve as his blade fell with a clatter to the floor and he pulled the ends of the Decadriver out, removing the Decade armor. He then pulled off the Decade belt and held it up.

"_Fa...ther...?_"

"I'm sorry...Einhalt..." Lelouch said as he turned toward her. "Father will be a little late."

BANG!

A shot rang out in the air and Lelouch felt his knee burn and fell to his knees.

"_Father!_"

"Ahahahaha!" Curtis laughed as he lowered his gun. "Restrain him. Listen to her. 'Father! Father!'I bet you didn't even tell her the truth about your pathetic little family didn't you?"

"What...are you talking about?" Lelouch growled as he found his face pressed against the dirt while the troopers held his arms up in the air.

"What I am talking about? Why, the fact that that brat isn't even your real daughter! But a stray that you picked up off the streets!"

Lelouch froze and looked toward Curtis with a sense of fear and confusion as the man had a feral grin on his face.

"Why...do you know that?" Lelouch asked. "How the hell do you know that? Answer me!"

"..._Father?_"

Lelouch made a strangled sound in his throat as his eyes contracted in fear. He slowly turned his head toward the monitor as Einhalt looked at him.

"This man isn't your real father and the bitch that you call your mother isn't your real mother. They're just strangers that picked you up in a back alley after your real parents dumped you."

"_What...?_"

"Don't you get it? He isn't your father. Just a fake. You never knew your real parents!"

"_That's...not true! Father! That's not true right?_"

But Lelouch couldn't say anything. The trooper was pressing his face against the dirt with so much force that he couldn't even open his mouth. He could only direct his glare at Curtis while being furious at himself for being so outplayed.

"I don't see why Eternal was so afraid of you," Curtis said as he walked toward Lelouch and drove his foot across the man's head. "You're nothing special."

"Ngh...rarh!" Lelouch snarled as he attempted to break free, ignoring his protesting knee.

"_F-Father..._"

"I don't think you're in any position to make demands here, Rider." Curtis said as he picked up the Decadriver and tossed it up and down in his hands. "Now that I have you...I don't really need the brat anymore do I?"

"Don't do it..." Lelouch roared as he managed to get his head loose. "I swear...I will make every last bone in your body regret it if you do it!"

"Hahahaha, then how about begging me to let her go instead of killing her with her last thoughts of you lying to her for her entire life?"

There was a small silence as Lelouch lowered his head.

"Please...don't kill her..." he begged. "She's the only one I have left...don't kill her...!"

"Nope."

A snap of the fingers was quickly followed by the sound of steel ripping through flesh and a soft thump.

"_Kack...ahh...hak..._"

Blood.

Blood was spilling out of two slits in his daughters throat as she clamped her hands around her neck and squirmed in pain.

"Einhalt...? Einhalt!" Lelouch breathed, tears streaming down his face as her movements slowed to a halt and the camera cut off. "Ah...ahhhh... AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

A pained scream overlapped an insane man's laughter.

She was gone.

His last family member was gone.

He couldn't protect another person that was important to him.

Another person died simply because they were important to him. Just because people wanted to hurt him. To see him in pain.

"Pain..."

_**It hurts.**_

"No more..."

_**I'm tired of this pain.**_

"I didn't want this..."

_**Why does everyone keep dying?**_

"It is all your fault..."

_**If you want pain so badly...**_

"You killed her..."

_**Then this pain will be yours.**_

"I won't forgive you..."

_**I will break you**_.

* * *

"Huh?" Curtis blinked as the Decadriver suddenly vanished from his hands. "Where did it..."

"AHHHH!"

The troopers pinning Lelouch to the ground let out a scream of pain as their hands were torn from their arms and their bodies flung aside.

Lelouch shakily stood up, his leg squirting out blood from the bullet wound as the Decadriver and Ride Booker reappeared on his waist.

He wasn't able to stand up straight anymore. He was slouched over with his head down and his arms drooping lifelessly in front of him.

"_**Henshin...**_"

[_**KAMEN RIDE! DECADE!**_]

Without making a single hand movement, a card flew out of the Ride Booker and inserted itself into the Decadriver and the two ends slammed together, allowing the nine shadowy figures to shoot out of the belt and slam into him, creating the armor of Decade once more.

"_**...Henshin...**_"

Again, the Ride Booker opened up and another card flew into the Decadriver.

[_**FORM RIDE! MATERIAL-O!**_]

Color drained from the armor as the visor changed to a blood red color and a ghastly fog began wrapping around his body, seemingly blurring the Rider from sight.

"▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅!"

A howling and beastly roar echoed throughout the caverns as several of the troopers backed away from the mad Rider.

The cards sprung to life as a card inserted itself into Ride Booker.

[_**ATTACK RIDE! SOUL WINGS!**_]

"▅▅▅!"

Wings of black and red fire in the shape of hellish hands erupted from his back as the Rider crouched low to the ground like an animal, twisting his head left and right looking for his target.

"U-uwaaaaaah!"

Someone screamed and immediately the cavern was lit up with gunfire.

The Rider ignored it as the wings stretched outward, grabbing onto two of the troopers who started screaming in pain as they were slowly reduced to little more than bones.

"▅▅▅!"

The Rider let out another roar as he leaped forward, landing on one of the troopers and cut off the man's scream as he smashed his fist into their skull, splattering it like an overripe fruit.

The Rider then turned around, still pounced on top of the dead trooper, like an animal looking for its next meal.

More screams of fear as weapons were dropped and the troopers attempted to run while others in their fear and panic, continued shooting at the Rider, not even bothering to avoid their allies in the crossfire.

[_**ATTACK RIDE! VESPER RING!**_]

"▅▅▅!"

The Soul Wings opened up wide as dozens of little rings of black and red flames began firing from them. Whatever they hit they burned through.

Stone. Steel. Flesh. Nothing stood in its way.

"▅▅▅!"

Several Worms came up to see the source of the destruction and when they saw him they immediately charged toward the thing they perceived as a threat.

[_**ATTACK RIDE! ETERNAL SABER!**_]

"▅▅▅!"

The wings narrowed into long red blades and swiped across the room, splitting the Worms and several troopers in half before their parts began to burn away as well.

Throughout it all, Curtis was left unharmed, unable to move as the sight of black fire burned away through his men.

As he watched as the last of them fell to the ground and the Rider turned toward him, Eternal's warning rang into his mind.

"_General Lelouch Lamperouge is not a man to be underestimated nor trifled with. This Operation is crucial to the success of our purpose. The man must not be made a direct enemy. No, he is not a man, but a Devil masquerading as a lowly Human._"

And now that devil was looking at him.

"Impossible..." Curtis gasped. "What is this power...?"

"_**The power that can destroy entire worlds in a blink of an eye,**_" came a reply that rang in Curtis's mind as the Rider moved towards him. "**_The power of the strongest Material The power of the Book of Darkness. The power of the strongest Kamen Rider. Behold...The Destroyer of Worlds, Kamen Rider Decade's Power!_**"

"▅▅**E**!"

Curtis quickly drew his blades out as the Rider lunged at him. The blades were easily crushed under the Rider's grip as he closed his hands around them.

"_**What you face is not a man.**_"

"**D**▅▅!"

The Rider grabbed him by his head and slammed him into a wall as the grip began to tighten around his skull, causing him to grab the smoldering hand to try and pull it off.

"_**He who stands before you at this moment, is but a devil masquerading as a human.**_"

"▅**I**▅! ▅**IE**! **D**▅▅! ▅▅▅! **D**▅**E**! **DI**▅! ▅▅▅!"

And Curtis's world exploded in pain.

"_**I won't kill you...not before you feel the full extent of the Demon King's Wrath.**_"

"**DIE!"**

* * *

TheBee ran through the base tearing through anything that stood in his way, be they Worm, Human, steel or stone.

"I must hurry!" he said to himself. "I only have moments before that monster-guh!"

A black and red blur slammed into him, knocking him off his feet and into a wall. The creature was a black and red Worm, the same one that had been talking to Curtis earlier.

"Another human with Clock Up?" it asked. "How...surprising. Scorpio was sure there was only one."

"Vile cretin..." TheBee snarled as he pulled himself up. "How dare you hold a child hostage. Have you no shame? Have you no honor?"

"Do not place me with the likes of that scum," the Worm snapped back as it held its claws out at TheBee. "Killing larvae after our own were mercilessly melted under molten stone by you humans of the Bureau is hypocritical to the highest order."

"Is it not vengeance that you seek then?"

"The Blackthorn Hive is concerned with one thing and one thing only. The re-population and safety of our Hive. That is why we joined Eternal, out of debt to him for saving the last of our race. However, if that fool Curtis keeps this up, he will be the death of us all."

"Then give us the girl so we may leave!" TheBee said as he flexed his wrist with TheBee Zecter on it. "You may live to flee and fight again another day!"

The Worm looked at TheBee for a moment before looking down at his own hands.

"Our Hive has sworn itself to Eternal out of debt to him. We have repaid that debt by allowing his forces to build above our Hive. His forces have betrayed us by killing two of my Hive and injuring another. My pod sibling agrees. We are in his debt no more. We wish for asylum."

"A-Asylum?" TheBee repeated, lowering his stance slightly.

"Is that not the correct word?" the Worm asked as it looked at him. "We wish to remove our Hive Cluster from EDEN. We will trade you back the female larva in exchange for protection from the Whitestorm Hive. If need be, we will offer knowledge of EDEN and Worms and our Soldiers to fight. We have determined that it is the only way to survive the oncoming fury."

TheBee stared at the Worm in disbelief for a moment before shaking his head to clear it.

"I am but a Knight for my Lord," he replied. "I cannot make such decisions on my own. You must make the deal with him yourself."

"We believe there is compromise," the Worm nodded. "I am called Camponotus Maxilla. I lead this Hive Cluster's Soldier Worms to battle. I will trade you the larva in exchange for talk with your lord."

TheBee nodded as Maxilla turned and ran down the hallway with TheBee following after him. He was led to a doorway when suddenly TheBee Zecter flew off of him, causing him to lose his armor.

"What?" Jeremiah asked as the door suddenly opened and Maxilla vanished.

Jeremiah turned towards the door...

To see his young charge on the ground, lying in a pool of blood.

He was too late.

Again, he was too late.

He had failed again.

"_AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!_"

A pained screamed echoed in Jeremiah's head as he saw his lord's visage in a viewing screen in front of the young princess's body.

She was killed while her father was forced to watch.

No...not just killed. Bled out like a common boar.

"YEERAAAAGGGGGHHHHHHH!"

It was neither a cry of war nor a cry of pain.

It was the cry of a rampaging beast as Jeremiah charged toward the dead men standing extending both arm blades as he did.

The two troopers reacted immediately as they turned around and raised their blades in defense.

Jeremiah's blades connected with theirs as they brought them down on his head.

With a twist of his right hand, the right trooper's sword slid down his arm, harmlessly grating against the steel of his body as he retracted the blade and caved in the throat of the left trooper before grabbing the right trooper's arm and pulling him to the side.

The right arm blade suddenly extended out over his elbow and he drove it into the man's back before retracting and extending the blade forward and bringing it straight through the left trooper's neck, severing the fingers that had been clasped around it.

He then turned back toward the right trooper and picked the dying man back up to slit his throat with both blades before letting him drop to the floor.

He then kicked the bodies away as the blades retracted and he knelt over the princess's body.

"I'm sorry..." he cried as he carefully picked her body up. "I'm sorry...forgive this fool knight...I'm..."

He blinked as he stared at the princess's face. Though the blood was clearly seeping out of her throat, her mouth was strangely clean despite her holding up a bloody rag against it earlier. And her cheek wasn't swollen anymore either...

"What is this trickery...?" he asked before he heard a soft voice behind him.

"Uncle...Jeremy?"

Jeremiah immediately turned around to see Maxilla standing there with another black and red Worm. Between them was Einhalt, holding a rag to her face, her cheek a bloody red and swelling.

"Who...how..." he sputtered as he looked down at the body he was cradling, only to recoil in shock as its eyes opened up and looked at him. "What is..."

"Stand up, Lanpyris," the Worm standing next to Maxilla said. "There's no need to continue."

"Yes, Camponotus," "Einhalt" replied as she got up to her feet and her body suddenly changed into a large green and black Worm with a large mace-like club for a right hand.

"Worm?" Jeremiah asked as he backed away. "How..what did...?"

He was cut off as the Worm in front of him, Lanpyris, walked over to Einhalt and gave her a little push. The girl stumbled the first few steps before running over and throwing herself at Jeremiah's legs and started wailing.

Pushing all other thought out of his mind, Jeremiah knelt down and wrapped his arms around the girl.

"My sincerest apologies, Lady Einhalt..." Jeremiah said as relief fell out from his eyes. "Forgive this foolish uncle for being so slow to rescue his princess."

"Umh..." Einhalt nodded as she continued to cry into Jeremiah's chest.

"But..." Jeremiah began as he looked up at the Worms. "What was..."

"It is how we operate as part of EDEN," the female Worm said as she suddenly changed into a tall dark haired woman with red eyes and walked toward Jeremiah. "We am Camponotus Oculus, and We are the Blackthorn Hive."

"We Worms are able to take on the form of any human we see directly," Lanpyris said as a silvery "shadow" of Einhalt appeared in front of it as if speaking for the Worm. "Along with the form, we are able to copy their very memories."

"Copy...their form and memories...?" Jeremiah repeated slowly before his eyes widened at the implications. "You mean...!"

"The transformation is not completely perfect however," Maxilla said as he too took a human form, one that looked identical to Oculus's except he was male with shorter hair and a broader body. One would assume that the two of them were fraternal twins if they didn't know better. "We cannot copy a Mage's Linker Core nor can we fully take on their scent. Everything else however...is perfect."

"Then...how do I know for sure...this is really Lady Einhalt...?" Jeremiah asked causing Einhalt to look fearfully at him.

"You cannot. You only have our word."

Jeremiah glared at the Worms before turning his gaze down at Einhalt, looking the girl straight in the eye before hugging her tighter.

"My apologies. You are you, my princess..."

"Uncle...Jeremy?" Einhalt began slowly.

"Yes?"

"What did that man...what does it mean when...Father is not my real father?"

"I...I have no answer to that..." Jeremiah replied turning his head away. "You...you need to ask him yourself for an answer. Come, we must get to him quickly."

Einhalt looked around fearfully for a moment before nodding as Jeremiah picked her up and ran out the door with the Worms following close behind them.

Along the way back up through the caverns, Jeremiah could hear several more gurgling noises in the background while Lanpyris gurgled back at them, probably giving them orders to remain calm or something as the sounds of screaming and explosions continued to echo in the caves, forcing Einhalt to place her hands around her ears and scrunch up her eyes in an attempt to block out the noise.

"Culex!" Oculus shouted and a large Worm with a long red stinger on its face and hand, making it look like a humanoid mosquito appeared in front of them. "Where is Lamperouge?"

The Culex Worm barely pointed at a blank wall for barely a second before the wall blew open as what could only be described as a white fog with red eyes crashed through it, carrying a person.

"Decade?" Jeremiah asked as the Rider threw his extra passenger against the far wall, embedding him into it. The man had barely a moment to breathe before the Rider threw slammed his feet into Curtis's chest, caving his ribs in and causing Curtis to cough up blood.

Planting his right foot firmly into the ground, Decade lifted his left foot up and smashed it against Curtis's chest once more while his arms shot forward, grabbed the man's arms, and tore them out from their sockets before tossing them aside and impaling Curtis's chest with his Ride Booker Blade. He then tore the blade out and slammed them back in once more.

And again.

And again.

And again.

And the Rider let out a cruel laugh.

"**Huhahahahahahahahahaha!**"

"F-father?"

* * *

Decade's head whipped around at that one word.

Standing there in front of so many Worms and a pair of people he had never seen before were Jeremiah and Einhalt.

He stared at Einhalt with such intensity that the girl flinched away, burying her face in Jeremiah's shoulder before the fog and vanished and Decade's normal colors returned.

"E-Einhalt?" Decade gasped, taking a step forward. "Jeremiah...you...how...but...Worms?"

He looked at Jeremiah for a moment before taking another step forward, raising his hands toward Einhalt for a moment before stopping and looking down at himself.

Blood.

He was covered in so much blood that he was practically drowning in it.

"You're...not my real father?" she asked as she looked up at him for a second before burying her face back into Jeremiah's shoulder.

"Einhalt..." Lelouch breathed as the Decade armor vanished from his body.

The mosquito-like Worm turned toward the dark haired woman for a moment and seemed to gurgle inquisitively at her before the woman nodded and took a step toward Lelouch before its form suddenly changed, making it so Lelouch was looking at a mirror copy of himself.

"What...?" Lelouch gasped as he took a step back.

"You wish to know how it is that EDEN learned of your secrets," the Worm said in _his_ voice.

"I see..." Lelouch muttered. "I remember now...your species can take on the form of any human you wish and in doing so you gain their memories..."

"Indeed, and not just recent surface memories. Every last memory they have.. We gain their personalities as well. It makes our species excellent spies. Everything is the same down to the DNA, however our species do not have access to this Linker Core you humans draw your magic from. It is the one flaw within our transformation that can be used to discover the Whitestorm Hive that continue to serve Eternal and EDEN."

Lelouch's eyes narrowed at this new information. An entire race that was practically born for espionage and the enemy has most of them.

"But, this is hardly the place to talk about such matters, don't you agree?" the Worm continued, turning around to look at Einhalt who still had her face buried in Jeremiah's shoulder. "Of course you agree. You must take care of the problems at home before you take care of the ones at work."

"Right..." Lelouch nodded. "Jeremiah...please take...please take Einhalt home for me."

"I believe that should be your duty, Your Majesty," Jeremiah replied.

"No...no..." Lelouch shook his head quickly. "I...I have work to do."

"Surely they can wait until..."

"Jeremiah...! That's an order...please..."

The Knight opened his mouth again for a moment before closing it shut and lowering his head.

"As you wish..."

* * *

"_I see...so that is what's going on_," Lindy's voice said from a monitor that had the words "Voice-Only" printed on it. "_Has the Blackthorn Hive revealed why exactly they are supporting Eternal?_"

"It is because of a botched first contact," Lelouch explained looking down at his drink. "As Eternal said in his debut, they hail from Non-Administrative Planet 108, the same one that Admiral Paseo declared as a hostile uninhabited world. When the TSAB first arrived there, the Worms attempted to contact them by walking up and transforming into a few of the soldiers there. Naturally, they were frightened and attacked. They then pulled their forces off and I suppose Paseo declared that the Worms were too dangerous if left unchecked so he had his ships bombard the planet. Hundreds of Hives were lost and many that survived came to detest humans. The Blackthorn are one of the few that simply wish to be left alone and rebuild their numbers."

"_But then Eternal came to them._"

"Indeed. Eternal offered them a chance for revenge. Somehow, he managed to convince the largest and strongest of the remaining Hives, the Whitestorm Hive to work with him in destroying the TSAB. I'm more surprised that he actually convinced them to direct their rage against the TSAB instead of all humans in general. The Whitestorm Hive then proceeded to force the other Hives to fall in, like they did with the Blackthorn."

"_And now any one of our soldiers could be a Worm in disguise to the point that they might not even know about it themselves..._"

"Though the Worms are unable to do magic, Eternal can easily get around that by having them in unimportant positions like facility workers, positions where you don't have to use magic to get a job."

"_What of the Blackthorn Hive now?_"

"They desire to be left in peace but understand that so long as the rest of their race seeks conflict with the TSAB, they will be dragged into it once more. Thus, in exchange for the protection by the 501st, they will assist me in Anti-EDEN operations. I'm hoping to find a way that forces disguised Worms to return to their true forms. It will be slow going, but it will be done eventually."

"_Nice to see that you are on top of things as usual. I would like some periodical progress reports if you don't mind._"

"Of course."

"_Now...on to more important things..._" Lindy suddenly said, causing Lelouch to raise an eyebrow, wondering what could be more important than the fact that their galaxy wide organization has been infiltrated by perfect spy aliens. "H_ow is your daughter doing?_"

Oh right. That.

"I...do not know," Lelouch replied hesitantly. "I...have not been home..."

"_What?_" Lindy practically shrieked at him causing him to flinch. "_Your daughter has been kidnapped and beaten two days ago...and you haven't been home once to comfort her! Lelouch vi Britannia, just what kind of father are you?_"

"A coward and the worst kind," Lelouch replied, ignoring the fact that she used his full name.

"_Excuse me for a moment._"

Lelouch blinked as the communication window stopped transmitting noise. Did she mute her call?

Suddenly the door to his office sprang open and Mami stomped into the room.

"Mami wha-"

SLAP!

Mami raised her hand and slapped Lelouch across his face.

"Ma-"

SLAP!

She raised her other hand and slapped him again.

"Wait a-"

SLAP!

"Stop!" Lelouch ordered as he raised his hand to block the fourth slap.

"No I will not!" Mami shouted back at him. "I have had enough of this, Lelouch-san! You are to go home and talk to your daughter, now!"

"She...I am not her father..." Lelouch said with a grimace as he turned his head away. "Not for much longer anyway..."

"What are you...?" Mami began as she followed his gaze to a pile of forms at the edge of the desk. "You...you..."

Words seemed to fail her as she grabbed the bottle that Lelouch had been drinking from and looked like she wanted nothing more than to smash it over his head and instead settled for pouring the contents over him instead.

"YOU WANT TO PUT HER UP FOR ADOPTION?" Mami screamed at him. "I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU WOULD EVEN THINK ABOUT DOING SOMETHING LIKE THAT! ON CHRISTMAS EVE OF ALL DAYS!"

"So take her off of my hands...she'll probably do better with a mother than a father any-"

He was cut off as Mami actually punched him square in the nose, causing him to lurch forward and cover it in pain. He looked up at her to see that tears were coming out of her eyes.

"Stop...stop being so pathetic! You're better...you're better than this!"

"Am I...really?" Lelouch asked back without raising his voice. "I can't even protect her in my own home. How can I raise her like that? You didn't hear her...she said it herself. 'You're not my real father.' Heh...it's the truth after all."

"She was scared and she was hurt!" Mami said. "For goodness sake, Lelouch-san, she lost three of her teeth! She didn't know what she was saying! She's barely even able to eat anything now! And you don't even want to _talk_ to her!"

"She watched me beat a man to death with my bare hands...how am I supposed to face her after that?"

"Leave that to me," a voice said behind them.

They turned around to see Kyouko standing at the doorway.

"Kyouko-san?"

"Don't worry about a thing," Kyouko said with a big smirk on her face. "I know just the thing to get them back together just in time for the party."

"What is it?" Mami asked as the grin on Kyouko's face just seemed to grow bigger.

* * *

"_You are nothing but a stray._"

"_Your parents are all fake!_"

Those words continued to ring through her head as she pressed her pillow over her head to try and drown it out.

She was in one of the guest rooms as her bedroom still had a large hole in it and needed to be fixed.

Her face was no longer swollen thanks to Aunt Sayaka but her jaw still felt numb and she couldn't chew anything with the left side of her mouth, making her unable to eat most of her favorite food anymore.

Her father wasn't her real father.

Her mother wasn't her real mother.

Her parents were fake.

"What does that mean?" she asked as she peeked out under her pillow.

She was scared.

Was everything a dream then? Was she going to wake up and find that her father and all the adults never existed? That she would wake up in a hospital or in this building all alone?

"I don't want that..." she cried.

"_What don't you want, child?_" a voice she never heard before asked.

"Who's there?" Einhalt demanded as she sat up and looked around her room.

"_Oh, no one you need to worry about. I've been watching you and your father since your family moved into this house four years ago._"

"My...family...do you...do you know why my parents are fake?"

"_Fake? Now why would you ever think that?_"

"That...that man said that they weren't my real parents...so does that mean they're fake? Is Father going to disappear?"

The voice was silent for a moment before it suddenly burst out laughing.

"W-what? Why are you laughing?"

"_I'm sorry...huhuhu...that's not what they meant by them not being real. They don't mean it like your parents are illusions, child._"

"Then...does it mean he's not really isn't really my father?"

"_No, that man is your father. The man clothes you, feeds you, keeps a roof over your head for the last three and a half years...and you think he isn't your father_?"

Einhalt just looked up to where the voice was coming from blankly as she pulled her knees up to her chest and shook her head as if to clear it.

"Father is..."

"_Tell me this, Child. What does 'Father' mean to you?_"

"Someone...someone...a man...who takes care of children?"

"Then where is the problem here?" the voice asked, its tone growing serious. "_I won't claim to know how you feel, but I'll let you know this, you are more like your 'parents' than you think. You have your father's intellect, eyes, and silver tongue. You also have your mother's hair and her ridiculous pizza craving or at the very least, a taste for cheese...though I assume that's because you grew up surrounded by your mother's favorite plush toys that reeked of cheese..._"

Einhalt turned to her side and saw the old Cheese-kun plushy that she had for as long as she remembered. She vaguely remembered crying when she it had a large tear in its side and her father stayed up all night to fix it.

She reached over and pulled the plushy toward her and hugged it.

"I..." Einhalt began as she buried her face into the plushy. "What am I doing...?"

"_Have you woken from your nightmare, Einhalt Stratos Lamperouge?_"

"Yes..."

"_Then...you should head down the Christmas party, don't you think?_"

"Party?"

Suddenly, a knock came at her door causing her to turn her head toward it.

"Einhalt-chan," Mami's voice rang through. "Are you feeling better?"

Einhalt looked down at Cheese-kun and nodded as she held it tightly against her chest and walked toward the door to open it.

Mami looked surprised, almost as surprised as Einhalt did when she saw that the woman was wearing a strange green tunic with red and green stockings and a strange floppy hat.

"Oh...how are you feeling?" Mami asked as she knelt down at her.

"Is...Father home?" she asked.

"...Yes..." Mami nodded with a smile. "He's waiting downstairs for you. Everyone is."

"Everyone?"

"Yes. Your father, Aunt Hayate and her family, Aunt Kyouko, Uncle Jeremy, Uncle Suzaku and Aunt Sayaka too. Everyone is waiting for you to come down to celebrate."

Mami held her hand out to Einhalt for her to take.

Einhalt looked down at it for a moment before shifting Cheese-kun to her left hand before taking Mami's hand with her right and allowed herself to be led downstairs.

When she arrived she saw that everyone except Hayate and the men were wearing the same outfit Mami was wearing. Hayate instead was wearing a long red coat with white fluffs around the edges. The men however, were nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Father?" Einhalt asked as she looked around.

"Okay boys!" Kyouko called out. "Showtime!"

"D-do we have to?" Zafira asked.

"O-our pride as Knights..." Jeremiah added.

"Come on, it's not _that _bad," Suzaku said. "Come on, Lelouch..."

Several sets of squeaking footsteps caught Einhalt's ear as she turned to look toward the entrance way leading towards the exit.

There, she saw her father, Suzaku, Jeremiah, and Zafira wearing the largest brown reindeer plush costumes she had ever seen.

Suzaku was the only one who was smiling while Jeremiah and Zafira refused to look at anyone. Her father though, was behind all the others and had his head down.

"Come on, Lelouch," Suzaku said again as he pushed the man up to the front.

Her father allowed himself to be pushed to the front so that she could see him properly.

He looked very tired and pale, making Einhalt worried that he was sick. He was also looked up at her sadly before lowering his head again.

"Einhalt..." he began. "I..."

"I..." Einhalt began, cutting him off and making him look at her. She squeezed Cheese-kun in her arms for a moment before continuing. "I...don't care if you are not my 'real' father."

"Einhalt?"

"I...don't want my real father. I...don't care about my real father. I...I...I want you to be my father! So...so...please...don't go away like Mother!"

* * *

Lelouch stared at Einhalt as tears started flowing out of her eyes.

He then looked up at Mami as if asking her if she made Einhalt say that but the girl was covering her mouth and shook her head as tears flowed down her eyes as well.

He looked at Einhalt who had closed her eyes and was hugging her plush toy so hard that he was sure it was going to tear again.

That girl...

That girl he found that day in the streets wanted him to be her father. Even though he was a failure and a coward, she wanted him.

"Ahh..." Lelouch choked out as he cleared his throat. "I...want to be your father too..."

Einhalt opened her eyes as she ran toward him, no doubt wanting him to hold her like he should have done the moment he saw she was safe.

She was about a foot away from him when Kyouko suddenly shouted "Oh shit!"

_Piiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii iiiiiiii~_

A loud squeaking sound echoed in the quiet halls of the house when Einhalt pressed herself against Lelouch's, or rather the costume's, stomach as everyone, including those who had been crying, fell silent as the squeak droned on while Kyouko covered her eyes with her hand and slowly threw her head further and further back with her mouth opening wider and wider as the squeak droned on as if she was screaming silently at herself.

Finally, the squeak came to stop and no one seemed to know what to do or say.

"Oopsie."

Except for Kyouko.

"KYOUKO!" Vita and Sayaka shouted as the latter started choking the girl from behind.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?" Sayaka demanded at the top of her lungs as she tightened her grip.

"Ack! Gack! Can't breathe!" Kyouko choked out.

"What the hell did you put in there?" Vita demanded.

"It was...I was gonna punch him...and make Einhalt laugh..."

"You completely ruined that scene!"

"Vita," Signum said with a cough as she brought a finger to her eye.

"Fu...fufufu..."

"Einhalt?" Lelouch asked as he looked down at his daughter who was shaking in his arms.

She pulled her face away from him before pressing it against his stomach again.

_Piiiiiiiiiiiii~_

"Fufufufu..."

"Look! She's laughing! I did good!" Kyouko shouted as she pointed at Einhalt. "So let me go already!"

"Not on your life!" Sayaka shouted as she tightened her grip even more.

"Gack! Give! Give give give!"

"Sayaka, please don't commit a murder on Christmas..." Suzaku said as he walked over and somehow managed to grab Sayaka's arms so she would release Kyouko.

"How the heck did you grab me?" Sayaka asked. "That costume doesn't give you fingers!"

_Piiiiiiiiiiiii~_

"Please stop that, Einhalt," Lelouch sighed as he placed his stubby hand on her head.

"Fuhuhuhu..." Einhalt giggled as she looked up at him.

The doorbell suddenly rang and Mami excused herself to go get it as Lelouch walked over to his armchair and fell down in it with Einhalt climbing onto his stomach and press on his stomach over and over, giggling as she did.

"And she's back to being a kid," Vita sighed, but she was smiling.

"Hello everyone!" Madoka said as she came in with Teana walking behind her. "Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas," Teana said with a bow before staring at what Lelouch and the others were wearing. "Umm...what is..."

"Don't. Ask." Lelouch said and Teana simply nodded. "Where's Homura?"

"Here..." Homura said as she came in with a pile of presents in her hands. "Presents."

"Shall we open them now or wait until after dinner?" Mami asked.

"Um..." Teana began as she peeked over at the presents.

"Can we open them now?" Einhalt asked as she bounced on Lelouch's stomach causing it to squeak every second.

"Oi! Stop that!" Lelouch said as he grabbed her with his arms and held her up.

"Aww..."

* * *

The present opening was pretty fun even though Lelouch was still stuck in a reindeer costume.

Though he wasn't sure if he should appreciate the fact that Mami and Hayate got him a "Galaxy's Best Dad" mug and apron respectively. The two of them simply stuck their tongues out playfully as he glared at them.

Einhalt also got a lot of things, ranging from new clothes to a new Cheese-kun plush toy.

"Did you really go all the way back to earth to get that?" Kyouko asked Jeremiah in disbelief.

"Don't be ridiculous," Jeremiah replied.

"I did," Zafira answered.

"You two are incorrigible."

"Wow you know that word?" Vita asked.

"You say something shorty?"

"Oi! That's a low blow! No wait...!"

"Not as low as you!"

"Yargh!"

As the two red heads got into a little scuffle Suzaku pulled something out from under the tree.

"Huh? Hey Lelouch, I thought you weren't doing Santa?" Suzaku asked.

"I'm not...why?" Lelouch asked.

Suzaku handed over a red and green present to Lelouch who frowned at the tag.

"To: Lamperouge Family. From: Santa?" Lelouch read.

"Who's Santa?" Teana asked.

"Someone who didn't listen to me," Lelouch replied as he turned toward the girls who all shook their heads in denial. "Someone did it. So confess already."

"Why not just open it and find out?" Shamal asked.

"Might as well..." Lelouch sighed as he sat down next to the tree and Einhalt came up to him with a Cheese-kun in each arm, one original and one Christmas special edition.

He had her "help" him with the wrapping and the two of them opened it up to find.

"Wha-"

"This is..." Einhalt gasped.

A large silver framed photograph showing Emperor Lelouch vi Britannia, Knight of Two C.C. and their baby Einhalt si Britannia in their arms.

After a few seconds of everyone staring at it, the picture changed to show the baby Einhalt sleeping in C.C's lap while the woman was also taking a nap with Lelouch draping a blanket over her.

Then it was a scene with everyone together when they came over to Britannia for vacation.

The pictures went on and on. Impossible pictures that had C.C. in each of them that couldn't have been taken by any one person in the room. At least, no one that was willing to...except one person.

"Madoka..." Lelouch muttered. "Even now..."

"Eh?" Madoka asked as she shook her head. "No it wasn't me! I didn't do this!"

"Not you."

"Then why did you call her name?" Hayate asked as Suzaku had a look of understanding.

"I see...that's certainly..." Suzaku muttered.

"Certainly what?" Sayaka asked. "What do you two know that we don't."

"No, don't worry about it" Lelouch said as he stood up with the picture in tow.

"Ah..."

Lelouch looked down to see Einhalt reaching for the photo, stopping when their eyes met.

"Ah...umm..." Einhalt began as she seemed to shrink away from his gaze.

Lelouch let out a sigh as he looked back down at the photo before turning to the side and holding the frame towards her.

"Here. It's a family gift after all. I don't want it so you might as well take it."

"T-thank you, Father!" Einhalt said as she hugged the frame against her chest.

"Yeah...Merry Christmas."

* * *

That night, Einhalt sat on the guest bed and stared at the frame as the pictures scrolled past.

"_Having fun?_" the voice from earlier asked.

"Yes...thank you," Einhalt nodded.

"_That's good. Now go to sleep now Child. The frame will still be there in the morning._"

"Okay..." Einhalt nodded again as she set the frame aside a d got under the covers, only to let out a little gasp as the lights suddenly switched off. "Umm...who exactly are you?"

"_Just a small spirit without a partner._"

"Oh...are you lonely?"

"_Perhaps? Why?_"

"Then...can...can I be your partner?"

"_You're a bit young right now. Maybe in ten years or so._"

"Promise?"

"_We'll see...goodnight._"

"Goodnight."

* * *

Midnight. The guests were away and the dishes were all washed and clean.

Einhalt was put to bed and Lelouch was free to relax in front of the fire with a drink in his hand.

"You've been meddling," he said to apparently no one.

"_Someone had to get the two of you out of your rut_," the voice replied. "_You can thank me with a cookie in the morning. Homemade, vanilla, carefully crafted in my image._"

"Kiva-la..." Lelouch sighed with a wry smile.

"I know it's expensive but therapy is hard work you know," a small white metal bat said as she flew down from the ceiling and landing on Lelouch's head. "I have this feeling that this child will grow up and become a lot like you in the future. She's already going to be completely different from the other child from that World after all. Thanks to you finding her in that alleyway. You still have no idea why that is?"

"No, I don't," Lelouch replied. "Then again...I don't think I'll look for the reason anymore."

"You're happy with the way things are?"

"That's right. there's no need to do anything to shatter this happiness. It is fragile enough as it is."

"Is that right? Well, I wish you good luck, cheers, and all that holiday happiness. As for me, the night is still young. I'll be back for that cookie later."

And with that, Kiva-la vanished.

Lelouch stared off in the distance for a moment before pulling a card out of his pocket. A card that depicted a golden gradient shield on it. He didn't say anything as he tossed the card into the fire and watched it burned. There was no reason for it after all. Then, he held up his glass as if in toast to.

"Thank you for accepting me. I promise...I won't let anything like this happen to you ever again...my precious daughter..."

* * *

Einhalt quickly pulled on her coat and checked to make sure her hair was straight.

"Einhalt, are you done yet?" her father called out from below. "Your teeth aren't going to get fixed by themselves you know!"

"Yes!" Einhalt called back as she quickly ran out of her room and down the stairs.

When she got down, she was surprised to see Signum in the living room as well.

"Good morning," Einhalt greeted her with a bow to which Signum returned.

"Signum has the day off so she's coming with us to get her teeth checked out as well," her father explained. "Though I really wonder if you actually need it."

"One cannot be too careful, General," Signum replied. "Shall we go?"

"Very well, come here, Einhalt."

Einhalt nodded as she ran up and took her father's hand. As they walked down the street, she couldn't help but stare at her right hand and Signum's left hand. Slowly, she moved to make a grab it.

"What is it?" Signum asked as she turned toward Einhalt.

"Ah...umm...I was..."

"Here," Signum said as she took Einhalt's hand in her own. "All you had to do was asked."

Einhalt simply nodded in reply as a small smile spread across her face. It probably wasn't the same as what that boy felt. But to her...this was good enough.

* * *

"Wakey wakey~"

He opened his eyes and looked around. He seemed to be in some sort of container, floating in some strange kind of liquid.

"Amazing work, Doctor," came a voice different from the first. "And it can actually see us? Oh...its eyes are turning toward me."

What was going on? Why was he here? Why was he here in front of that bastard?

"You look to be confused, Curtis," Eternal said as he knelt down toward him. "You see Curtis...I do not like failures. Especially not one that refuses to listen to my orders to leave the girl unharmed. Not only that, you cost us dozens of soldiers, ten of the Whitestorm...and the _entire_ Blackthorn Hive."

Eternal grabbed the jar and stuck his face right in front of Curtis.

"What moron berates and attacks his troops on a whim?" Eternal demanded. "Especially ones that were already forced to work for me? Are you a cartoon villain? Years of preparation lost in one night! And to top if all off...the enemy now has access to their own Worm Hive..."

Eternal then stood back up and looked down on Curtis.

"So...I bet you're wondering why you look so short...and why you can't move your body or even talk, is that right?" Eternal asked as he poked the container again. "You see...Decade didn't really pull his punches at all. Your body was little more than a ground beef by the time you were discovered. The only thing relatively intact was that head of yours...but then...I didn't really care to see your face..."

Eternal held his hand to the side and the room's other occupant handed him a mirror to which he placed down in front of Curtis.

"This is a punishment suitable for fools like you!" Eternal declared as Curtis's eyes spun wildly. "You will live and watch the world form this glass prison. And should I ever grow tired of your presence I shall toss you into a storage container somewhere."

"Do you really need to waste a mind like that?" the other person asked.

"Oh? Did you wish to use that lump of flesh?"

"I have a few ideas."

"Then do as you wish, Doctor. I have no interest in hm anymore. Just be sure to make sure to put a kill switch somewhere. I have had enough of failures. Let me know if Tredia Graze's project shows some sort of result."

"As you wish."

* * *

Chapter's End Corner:

**Harouki**: WOOOHOOOOOOOO! I MADE THE DEADLINE IN THREE DAYS! MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!

**Sayaka/Hayate**: CHEERS!

**Lelouch**: Hic...I am such a fool...

**Harouki**: As you may have notice, the rating has been bumped up due to this blood red Christmas Chapter.

**Hayate**: Did you have to be so brutal?

**Harouki: **Christmas comes in three colors! Blood! Tears! and Agony! But in all seriousness. I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and spend that time with anyone you can. be it your family, your friends, or just that special someone. Family is the most precious thing after all.

**Sayaka**: Don't you think you're spoiling your readers? Only 4 chapters and they're all over 10000 words long!

**Harouki**: I can't help it! I've been wanting to write this chapter since I started StrikerS! Hell all this drama and we haven't even GOTTEN to the proper StrikerS timeline yet!

**Hayate**: But have no fear! Next chapter will have a main even taking place during the Airport Fire!

**Harouki**: If I ever manage to get there...I'm running low on energy but I want to see if I can get one chapter of PMMM up by the new year! So Happy holidays everyone! I hope this present was as good as last years!

**Hayate**: You mean how you killed Reinforce?

**Harouki**: Uhh...gottagonowbye!


	5. Chapter 5: The Second Fall

**Chapter 5: The Second Fall  
**

* * *

Sitting behind his desk in his study, Lelouch was looking at a monitor showing the news while on call with one of his subordinates.

"_Even now,_ _thirty hours since detonation, the fires continue to spread across the surface of Orussia. The Time-Space Administration Bureau has dispatched Rescue and Relief forces to the planet ten hours ago and they just now have made planet fall. Although it is too dangerous to get any closer to the scene, we will do our best to continue our coverage off..._"

Lelouch's eyes turned away from the burning image onto the image of Madoka.

"_Can't we send some people to assist?_" the girl asked.

"Rescue and Relief forces are already on site," Lelouch replied, tapping a finger on his desk. "There is no point to sending our people as well. Besides, it's not part of our jurisdiction unless EDEN makes an appearance there."

"_But..._" Madoka muttered as she looked to the side, where her own monitor was showing the damage.

Lelouch looked at her for a long while before letting out a long sigh.

"That is all I have to say on the matter, Madoka," Lelouch said, indicating he did not want to continue the conversation. "We are not miracle makers."

"_I understand..._" the young woman nodded.

"I'm glad you do. Now goodnight."

"_Goodnight, Lelouch-san._"

As the call ended, Lelouch turned his gaze back at the news cast.

"_For those of you just tuning in, we are currently in the middle of our orbital coverage of Orussia which is...or rather was embroiled in a civil war over Lost Logia. A few years ago, the TSAB had determined that several of the relics of a religious organization on the planet to be Lost Logia and attempted to retrieve it with the support of the local government. Certain factions of the religion...reacted poorly to the decision and rebelled, leading up tot he current situation seen here. Within recent months, the last of the religious dissenters had been cornered and the end of the war in sight. However, we believe that rather than let the Lost Logia be taken, the dissenters chose to destroy them...with this being the result..._"

"Father...?"

Lelouch turned his head up and saw Einhalt, dressed in her pajamas, standing in the doorway with one arm wrapped around the Cheese-kun plushy and the other hand rubbing her eye.

"What is it, Einhalt?" Lelouch asked, muting the news cast.

"You said you'd read me a story..." the girl replied, showing him a book she was holding behind the plush toy.

Lelouch blinked as he turned toward the clock which showed 2137.

"O-oh I did," he nodded, standing up from his desk. "I'm sorry. I got caught up with work and..."

A small beeping at his desk caused him to turn back down toward it.

"Sorry...Father needs to take a look at this," Lelouch said with a sigh as he pointed toward one of the chairs near the door. "Can you just wait there for me?"

"Okay..." Einhalt nodded as she climbed onto the chair and waited, allowing Lelouch to sit back down and open the message.

"The request for the new base went through. That's good...now all that is needed is the personnel and the supplies. Well, we can just have the Worms mimic some volunteers from Castle Base. They don't need much space above ground. Looks like the budget has been included but I will have to acquire the materials myself. That's no problem. However...I'll need to assign a separate base commander. I need Mami to help with Castle Base...there was that one Worm who already imitated me but...people would get suspicious if there were two of me running around. Do I have to use Suzaku or Jeremiah then?"

As was promised, the Blackthorn Hive had surrendered themselves to Lelouch before the end of the year. It was one good thing that came out of taking in an entirely new species.

The logistics of setting up a living ground for the Worms as well as keep them close to the 501st Command had been a nightmare as the only spot available was up in Northern Mid-Childa.

Since their integration into the TSAB, several sanctions have been put onto the Blackthorn Worms. Most of the sanctions were simple things like being allowed to research and study the Worms, which the Blackthorns accepted without question. Others, like the ridiculous breeding limit was fought with such aggression that they nearly attacked the negotiators.

It was eventually repealed, with Lindy Harlaown and Lelouch himself supporting the repeal. It was a terrible sanction to put on a race that was dying out after all. By the hands of the TSAB to boot.

Since then, the Blackthorn were put under his command as their leaders refused to accept anyone else. They made the deal with Lelouch and they will only follow him. It was a lot of trust they were putting into him, especially since being betrayed by Eternal's man caused them to lose even more trust in humans. However, it was worth it.

The Blackthorns were the perfect addition to a force that was to combat EDEN. In so far, they really only had three people that could actively combat EDEN's Worms. Homura, Suzaku, and TheBee. With the Blackthorns, they would be able to balance the scales a bit. He couldn't send many of them out at once though...at most maybe two dozen or risk lowering the population too much.

He had been trusted to defend them so they may repopulate, not to use them as soldiers. Despite what many of them seemed to want.

Many Worms were quickly integrated themselves into the Black Knights command, imitating random base personnel left and right, forcing the TSAB to rule that any Worms that imitated humans had to physically change their appearance due to the TSAB not wanting them to take the lives of their soldiers to which Lelouch and the Blackthorns agreed to.

Notable examples included how Culex Worm added a large scar to his face after imitating Lelouch himself or how Epilachna Worm added several hair colors to Sayaka's blue...or how Subst Worm shrank Mami's...

Lelouch shook his head and rubbed his eyes with his right hand.

Truly, a Worm's transformation ability was amazing.

Of course...several Worms did not change their attributes when transformed on Lelouch's orders to make them perfect spies...hidden from the rest of the Bureau of course.

It is a horrible thing when allies spy on each other but the Bureau is less of a government organization and more of a bureaucracy whose sole purpose was the cataloging and storage of Lost Logia.

Back to the problem of setting up the new base's personnel to keep watch over the Hive.

"No...Jeremiah is out of the question. I need him here in Central. Suzaku then? Sayaka might get annoyed at the relocation but if we install a teleporter on site and at Castle Base then the distance will become irrelevant."

His eyes then shot open as he remembered that Einhalt was still here.

Turning his head up, he saw that the girl was still sitting on the chair with her head tilting back and forth as she desperately tried to stay awake.

Lelouch clicked his tongue, frustrated at himself for forgetting about her in favor for work, stood up, and walked over to her. Kneeling down he shook her shoulder gently, causing the Einhalt to jerk awake and look around before looking straight at him.

"Ready to go to bed?" he asked with a small smile.

"Yeah..." Einhalt nodded as she rubbed her eyes.

"Ok then, up you go," Lelouch said as he picked her up in his arms, allowing her to sit up in them. Despite almost being four years old, she was still small and light, something that bothered him, but Shamal said that she was most likely a late bloomer, like Madoka was. "So which story did you want me to read to-"

He was cut off as another beeping sound came from his desk.

"Eii...what now?" he asked as he walked out of the study towards Einhalt's room, moving his free hand up to open a call window. "What is it?"

"_I take it it's a bad time?_" a dark haired man asked as he folded his arms on the other side of the call.

"Just hurry up, Maxilla," Lelouch said irritably causing the disguised Worm to smile. "What is it?"

"_Got an update on one of the jobs you pushed on us_," the Worm, Camponotus Maxilla, replied. "_It's about that...what do you call it...Charity was it? About the charity that was shipping food to Orussia before it blew up._"

"You mean the Everlasting Garden Charity?" Lelouch asked as he set Einhalt down on her bed. "I mean, it was only a whim that I had your Worms investigate but you're not telling me that it actually is an EDEN front?"

The EGC was a charity that went around to various planets that were in need to deliver food. Public information showed that they owned various plots of farmland and grew or raised nearly everything they sent and were largely a non-profit organization that accepted donations from their members and or the public.

Despite their flawless record however, their name made Lelouch suspicious. The others, Kyouko and Sayaka in particular, had called him paranoid but no one could say that he didn't have a reason to be paranoid considering what had happened last Christmas.

"_Not exactly_," the Worm replied. "_We learned that there is absolutely nothing suspicious about the farms. Though we can't get permission to investigate their private sectors, there isn't anything suspicious about their HQ or their farms. Not even signs of a underground Worm hive like we initially suspected. In short, it's clean._"

"As far as we can tell without writing up a false search warrant...ah...!"

Lelouch's eyes darted back toward Einhalt only to see tat the girl was fast asleep as she was unable to strive of sleeping long enough for him to finish the conversation. Her hand was also clutching the back of his shirt.

"I'll contact you in the morning for more details," Lelouch said irritably as he took the book from Einhalt's stomach, pulled the blanket over her body and tucked her in. "In the meantime try to find anything you can on EG."

"_Well...there was one thing Culex found strange,_" Maxilla said, raising a finger and halting Lelouch in his tracks. "_In the last three hours before detonation, every shuttle delivering food to Orussia was suddenly recalled off planet._"

Lelouch raised an eyebrow at that. Certainly it was suspicious but EDEN had no reason to not warn people if the rebels were going to detonate the Lost Logia.

On the other hand, it would serve to prove just how useless and horrible attempting to collect Lost Logias from the various planets was. On the other other hand...they claimed to protect the people and due to the detonation, millions of lives were lost and countless more will be displaced as the planet starts to slowly die. It would further cement their own reputation if they had managed to warn the populace about it instead.

If it had been up to Lelouch...which choice would he have made?

"The first...is more Eternal's style..." he muttered.

"_What was that?_" Maxilla asked.

"Nothing. I suppose there isn't anyway we can find out for sure. It's too far of a jump to say that EG was in on the explosion and they could all be on the same schedule or something. There are too many possible explanations for that coincidence and we don't have the resources to confirm them all."

"_So what do you suggest then?_"

Lelouch held his hand to his mouth in thought for a moment before speaking.

"We'll just have to investigate Orussia ourselves, specifically the points where EG were operating and, if possible, as close to Ground Zero as we can feasibly operate without intruding too much on the Rescue and Relief Forces," he replied. "I'll have Madoka oversee this operation. She isn't good at planning, but when it comes to helping people, she knows what to do. Can I ask you and a detachment of your Worms to go with her as protection and for you to oversee the actual investigation."

Maxilla looked off to the side for a moment, as if staring at some off screen image before turning back toward Lelouch.

"_I remember watching my world burn as I left it with EDEN years ago,_" Maxilla suddenly said. "_How entire landmasses were breaking apart or sinking under the waves along with most of our populations. If the Whitestorm were involved and too blinded by anger to warn another planet of an equally catastrophic event, then you have my support and the support of my Brood sibling. Our hive is in your hands, General. You need not ask, only order._"

"A simple 'yes' would have sufficed but I appreciate your support and trust," Lelouch nodded.

"_Do not squander it,_" Maxilla said dully. "_Is there a reason you are not overseeing this operation yourself, General?_"

"I have other matters to attend to," Lelouch replied, turning his gaze down at Einhalt. "Matters closer to home and far more important than the TSAB."

* * *

March 29th of the Seventy-First year on the Modern Era calender.

A man with jet black hair and purple eyes, with a scar running down the center of his face, stared at several monitors hanging in front of him.

"Transports without mounted weapons. Over reliance on individual 'Elite Mages' for shooting and artillery rather than actual weapons. Lack of resistance versus mass weaponry. Reluctance to _use_ mass weaponry. Lack of resolve to kill..."

He then stopped talking to turn around to look at a red haired woman sitting on a couch behind him.

"Putting aside monsters such as the Kamen Riders or Akemi Homura...EDEN has an overwhelming advantage in terms of ground combat, don't you agree, Sakura Kyouko?"

"You know, it's really scary if you talk while looking like that," Kyouko said as she looked at the man.

"Is it the scar?" the man asked. "I'm not really creative enough to change the appearance too much so the visible scar is enough, shouldn't it?"

"No, I'm talking about the entire look," Kyouko clarified, pointing at the man. "Talking like that while you look like Lelouch gives me goosebumps."

"Hahaha, I can't help it. His personality and motives are so powerful it's nearly overwhelming my core one. As someone who came from a technologically powerful world where giant robots are the main weapon of war, he seems constantly agitated at how...what's the word...limiting the TSAB is."

"Sounds like you understand him well."

"Of course," the man said, as he sat down behind the desk. "At this moment, I _am_ him after all. It's a high honor for me, one whose main purpose before was akin to a mere squad commander."

"Moving up in the world then, Worm?" Kyouko asked with a smirk.

"Both figuratively and literally, Human," Culex Worm nodded. "We Worms tend to prefer to build underground hives after all. But really...the decorations in this room are...depressing."

Kyouko merely shrugged as she turned to look toward the wall opposite of the General's Chair.

On the wall were several photographs with black drapes around them. At the very top left was a woman with green hair, the drapes covering her face completely. To the right of that picture was a man with orange hair. The wall had three lines full of such images.

"Because he can no longer die, he makes it his duty to remember all those who did die for him," Culex sighed as he spun around in his chair.

"Guy knows what he wants..." Kyouko shrugged.

"But really, coming up with a way to integrate our Soldiers into the 501st Battalion by having us impersonate current 501st soldiers with physical changes...clever."

"Still haven't found one to impersonate me though it seems?" Kyouko asked.

"Female Worms are...rare to say the least. Most of them belonging to the Nurser or Breeder caste, whose numbers are only in the dozens so we can't really risk them out in the open. The Workers are still digging out our Hive as well so we are only focusing on Scouters and Soldiers at this time."

"So the only option is for a male to impersonate me?"

"Yes...finding one strong enough and willing though. Few beings would willing undergo a change of sexes for a long term job after all."

"Subst didn't seem to have any problems turning into Mami."

"Well, you do get the occasional exceptions. It's like that with Humans too isn't it?"

"I don't personally know any extreme cases though..." Kyouko shrugged. "Though...I'm surprised Lelouch is keeping you around. Copying his memories like that..."

"I'm sure he has plans to take me down if I get out of hand," Culex said waving it off.

"You sure sound casual about someone planning to kill you."

"You make it sound like the General never has anyone planning to kill _him_."

"Fair enough. Where is he anyway?"

"I believe he's going on 'vacation' isn't he?"

* * *

"Do you really have to go?"

Lelouch turned around back toward Einhalt and Mami.

Einhalt was looking up at him with tears in her eyes as he knelt down in front of her, shifting his shoulder bag a bit and setting his steel suitcase on the ground and the case with his clothes to the side.

"I'm sorry but it's for work," Lelouch said as he gave her a quick hug. "I can't ask someone else to do this because it's very dangerous and even I'm not sure what exactly I should be doing."

"But..." Einhalt muttered as she lowered her head. "You'll be gone for a month..."

"Come now, you're a big girl now, almost four years old," Lelouch said as he placed his hands on her cheeks and tugged the ends of her lips upward. "Don't make that face."

Einhalt simply shook her head and buried her face into his chest.

"_**First boarding call for Nonadministrative Planet 27! All Passengers for Nonadministrative Planet 27 Eushully, please begin boarding procedures immediately.**_"

"That's my flight," Lelouch said as he looked behind him and Einhalt tightened her grip on his shirt but Mami quickly walked over and pulled her away, picking the girl up in her arms as she did. "I'll buy you a souvenir on the way back. Anything you want?"

"A ticket to go too..." Einhalt mumbled as Mami let out a small giggle at Lelouch's surprised face.

"She certainly has your wit if nothing else," Mami said Lelouch's mouth twitched upward. "Are you sure she doesn't have your genes?"

"What can I say?" Lelouch asked as he leaned over, and kissed Einhalt on the forehead. "I'm a bad influence on everyone. Madoka will be back in a week to take her of your hands when she gets back from Orussia. In the meantime, continue the Blackthorn Hive's integration with the 501st. Make sure all Lancer and Saber teams are familiar with Worm Physiology and Anatomy to both neutralize and stabilize them accordingly."

"Understood," Mami nodded as she turned toward Einhalt. "Okay Einhalt-chan, say goodbye to your father before he leaves."

"Mami..." Lelouch said quickly, causing her to look at him inquisitively. "Remember what Madoka says? 'It's not 'Goodbye,' but 'See you later.'"

"Oh my, yes. How silly of me."

"Come back soon..." Einhalt muttered sadly as she waved her hand at him.

"Ahh, I will."

With that, Lelouch turned and headed toward his shuttle.

* * *

"Gotta love First-Class travel," Lelouch said as he stuffed his bag into an overhead compartment while leaving his suitcase on his lap as he sat down on his seat, which was more or less a giant comfortable pod that allowed for privacy as well as surround sound entertainment.

But of course, Lelouch was not here for pleasure.

He was heading to the planet in order to find a magic animal to turn into a familiar. That way, he'd have something that would protect Einhalt for him when he wasn't around and Eushully was the perfect place to search due to its wide spectrum of magical animals.

Since the 501st became a dedicated Anti-EDEN unit and the creation of the Northern base, he was forced to return to work on base, leaving his daughter with Jeremiah whenever she wasn't in nursery.

Not that either them minded too much. Jeremiah had some company and Einhalt got to have some baked sweets and hard candy. Her adult teeth still hadn't grown in so her diet was still extremely limited. It wouldn't have been so bad if it was her front teeth...

However, he couldn't impose on Jeremiah, no matter how much the man said it was his duty. Especially considering Lelouch needed Jeremiah to be in the background to avoid detection from any of his enemies and so his identity as Kamen Rider TheBee would remain a secret as he was his best weapon to use against Worms.

Lelouch rubbed his eyes for a moment before pulling his hand away and looking at it.

He then looked to his left and then to his right.

"Now that I think of it...this is the first time in three years..." he mumbled. "The first time I'm away from Einhalt. Heh...I can't believe I'm feeling lonely..."

Shaking his head, he pulled out a notebook and began looking through the list of the animal population on Eushully to thin out the possible choices.

* * *

"_I'm sorry to leave Einhalt-chan with you on your day off,_" Mami said as Kyouko tapped the window of the microwave.

"No problem," the red head replied. "You have to oversee the newbies after all. Besides, the kid's simple enough to distract. Give her a can of juice, turn on the TV and let her watch."

"_She's sitting far away from the TV at least...?_" Mami asked rubbing her eyes.

"Meh, far enough."

Over in the living room, Einhalt was sitting right in front of the TV as she took a sip from her can.

It's only been a day since her father left and she was already missing him.

"Muu..." she sighed as she sipped her drink, only to find out that it was empty. "All gone..."

She stood up to put the can into the blue bin when she saw the can that Kyouko had been drinking from sitting on the coffee table. The writing on the can was a lot different from the one that Einhalt was drinking out off. Maybe it was a different flavor?

It might be okay to try a little bit, right?

She put her can down and picked the other one up, sniffing the opening.

"Smells weird..." she frowned as she brought the opening to her lips.

"_By the way...you're not drinking are you?_" Mami asked.

"Haha, of course not," Kyouko laughed. "There's a kid here after all."

A small thud caught her attention and Kyouko turned toward it.

Einhalt was flat on her back with her can spilling out onto the floor.

"Oh shit."

"_What? What happened?_"

"Uhh...something violent got turned on! I gotta go change the channel! See ya!"

"_Kyouko-sa-!_"

And with that, Kyouko cut the call and ran towards the unconscious girl.

"Crap, she did drink from it after all..." Kyouko groaned as she placed a hand on the girl's red face and spiraling eyes. "Gonna have to keep this to myself..."

* * *

"Understand?" a woman with multicolored hair and blue eyes asked as she tapped the monitor behind her. "When a Worm takes on a human form, our bodies are more or less human at that point. We become fragile but that means human healing techniques will work on us."

In front of her were several Black Knight officers with blue sword patches on their uniforms.

Saber Company. The Black Knight's Second Company with the general purpose of deploying aid and support to the other companies and civilian interests. It is made up of four platoons: Cutlass, Longsword, Claymore, and Katana.

Katana was the 501st's Rapid Response platoon with the main point being that they were to assist civilians in the event of disasters, natural or otherwise.

Claymore was the Anti-Explosives Platoon. They were deployed to remove explosives either surgically or with brute force.

Longsword was the Extraction Platoon, one that has seen the most action to date due to the constant attacks by EDEN.

The final and most important platoon, Cutlass, contained the combat medics, which were currently studying how to treat their Worm allies.

Saber Company was currently being led by Miki Sayaka who was standing in the back of the room, watching the woman wearing her face speak with an exasperated expression.

"For the most part," the woman continued. "We can use our extra mass to regenerate, but some injuries are just impossible to heal. Things like the venom of certain Worms are also potent enough to transfer the scars received on the human forms back to the Worm form. For the more grievous wounds, it would be best to leave it to another Worm to treat...but then if it's something like that, they would probably be dead anyway..."

The lecture went on for an hour before the room was excused and the listeners funneled out of the room. As the last of them left, Sayaka walked up toward her doppelganger.

"You keep making that face when you look at me," the woman said. "Something you don't like?"

"You know damn well what I don't like, Epilachna!" Sayaka replied as she thrust her finger at the Worm's face. "What's more...why the hell did you switch to neon colors today?"

"What, wouldn't you do this too if you had the power to alter your appearance on a whim?" Epilachna asked as she rubbed her fringe. "It's your fault you know."

Sayaka made an exasperated noise with her throat as she turned and walked out of the room with Epilachna following her.

"So, how's it going with Suzaku?" Epilachna asked, trying to make conversation.

"Why do you want to know?" Sayaka asked back.

"That tells me it's either going bad or stagnant."

Sayaka merely grunted in reply.

"Come now, you know Suzaku's a little dense on the romantic side outside of those big white knight rescues. You gotta be more aggressive. Why not start in saying you want to live in an actual house rather than just sharing an apartment? It's been almost two months since the move after all."

"Why are you saying things like that with my face?"

"Because it has nothing to do with me, nyahaha!"

"You little..."

"Oh, Sayaka, Epilachna, good morning. Getting along as usual, huh?"

Sayaka turned her head and saw Suzaku turning around the corner.

"O-oh, morning," Sayaka said as she released Epilachna's collar.

"Morning..." Epilachna greeted softly.

"Hmm? It's stars today?"

"Stars?" Sayaka repeated as she turned toward Epilachna only to see that the neon colors had been replaced by a solid light blue with several dark blue imprints in the shape of stars. "Will you stop that!"

"Why? Suzaku seems to like it."

"You...!"

"Hahaha...oh by the way, Sayaka. I think I saw Cochlea Worm in the infirmary."

"Hmm?" Sayaka asked as she pulled on Epilachna's cheeks. "Oh, is it already that time?"

"He's still at it?" Epilachna asked. "Those wounds are never going to go away no matter how much you try, Sayaka. He's a Zero Victim after all."

"Zero...Victim?" Suzaku asked.

"Oh, that's what we call the poor bastards who were at Ground Zero of the Bureau's attack on our planet who didn't have the good fortune to die. We Worms are a very close knit community. We all share a...how do I explain this...let's say a close link with one another. Being born in broods tends to do that for you. Through this link we are connected to each other in some way to the point that we sometimes feel that the other is a part of ourselves. Now imagine if through that link you can hear everyone around you screaming in pain as your home burns down around you and you feel it whenever someone just vanishes. It's why nearly every Nurser died in all the hives. They not only have a link to the other Nursers, they also have a link to our eggs. I don't think you can imagine what its like to hear the screams of dying unborn children if I can't even understand it. Hell, I think the only Zero Victim Nurser that survived was Scorpio Worm."

"That guy used to be a Nurser?" Sayaka asked incredulously. "That tough bastard that shrugs off both magic and bullets and tore a hole in Homura's stomach?"

"Yeah, I wouldn't have believed it myself if he didn't spend all his time in their egg chambers. Granted I only visited the Whitestorm Hive for two days."

"Is it strange to do something like that if you're not a Nurser?" Suzaku asked.

"Hmm...I suppose if there was a human equivalent...think of it as hanging out in the room where newborns are put into in a hospital and all of them are crying...multiply that by a hundred."

"The crying would probably drive you insane..."

"Exactly. But Nursers are bred to handle that kind of stress in order to take care of the eggs. Which is why we are having problems repopulating. Nearly every single one of ours died. Fighting against the TSAB certainly didn't help with our numbers, especially when the General was going bat-shit in our old-new Hive last year. Anyway, time to go visit Cochlea again, right, Sayaka?"

"Right..." Sayaka nodded in thought. "See you later, Suzaku."

"Yeah," Suzaku nodded as he walked away. "Oh, what time do you think you'll get back tonight?"

"Hmm? Around normal?"

"I see..." Suzaku said before adding something that sounded suspiciously like, "I can work with that."

He then left, holding his chin in thought.

"Something suspicious," Epilachna said as she stick her face over Sayaka's shoulder to watch Suzaku walk away. "He's probably having another woman over and wants to know when to kick her out."

"Suzaku isn't that type of guy!" Sayaka shouted as she pushed Epilachna's face away.

"How sure are you?"

"Ugh...there is no way I can be this annoying!"

"'_Hey Madoka, you're going out with Homura right?'_" Epilachna said in a dull monotone causing Sayaka to freeze up._ "_'_You're not? You're living together aren't you? You even share the same bed! You can't just be friends like that! Come on, you can tell me! I think even Nanoha and Fate are planning to do the same thing! Better set them straight or bad things might happen!'_"

"S-shut up!" Sayaka said as she turned around and stomped down the hall with Epilachna snickering behind her.

When Sayaka entered her office, she saw a large and muscular bald man with a heavy burn scar on half of his face stretching down to his chest, sitting on the patient table. His eyes seemed unfocused but his head turned toward Sayaka and Epilachna the moment she opened the door.

"Good morning...Doctor..." he said slowly.

"Good morning, Cochlea," Sayaka replied. "Back for more treatment?"

"Even though those scars won't go away?" Epilachna asked.

"Quiet you."

"Don't mind...scars," the male Worm said, either not hearing Epilachna or just choosing to ignore her, as he rubbed his hand on his face. "Doctor help forget..."

"Yes, I do," Sayaka said kindly as she walked over to him while Epilachna took a seat at the doctor's desk and watched as Sayaka moved her hand, which had a white circle with music notes. "What did you do today?"

"I helped dig."

"Is that right? How far did you dig today?"

"Deep...found this...for doctor..."

Sayaka felt her eyes boggle as Cochlea pulled out a large uncut blue stone from his pocket and held it up for her.

"I...wow..." Sayaka stuttered as she took it in her hands. "I don't know what to say...thank you. I'm flattered really but...any reason why?"

"Doctor is kind...Wants to protect doctor."

"I...think he has a crush on you," Epilachna deadpanned. "Or at the very least, likes you very very much in a platonic way."

"Umm...I...you do know I'm with Suzaku...right?" Sayaka asked slowly.

"Don't care...will protect Doctor, Doctor's mate, and any larvae they have."

"Even Cochlea is cheering you on, ha ha."

"S-shut up! No not you Cochlea, this moron here!" Sayaka hastily added when the male Worm turned his head toward her. "L-let's just continue..."

"Okay..." Cochlea nodded as he lowered his head toward her for her to continue the "In the end I took it huh?" Sayaka sighed as she looked at a bag in her hands. Even though she wasn't as good at "sensing" magic as Mami, she could still feel some sort of power emanating from the stone. "I should probably have Lelouch take a look at it when he comes back."

"Look at what?"

"Heek!"

Sayaka jumped and spun around to see Suzaku standing behind her.

"S-Suzaku...you scared me..."

"Hahaha, sorry," the knight laughed. "But what did you want him to see?"

"This."

Sayaka held out the magic stone for Suzaku to see and the man's eyes widened at it.

"This is...wow. So that's what Cochlea wanted to give you?"

"Yeah its...wait...how did you know he wanted to give me something?"

"He told me when I saw him in the infirmary. Asked if it was okay so I said yes."

"Just like that?"

"Of course. He's a nice guy after all and he said he wanted to protect us. What, are you falling for him instead, Sayaka?"

"Of course not! I mean...how does a Worm/Human relationship work anyway? Pass the emotional part I mean. Worms lay eggs after all...what happens..."

"I...think you shouldn't think too much into that stuff..."

"As a medical student I can't help but think so. We'll need to think about that when, and it's a _definite_ when, Worms start to get more of an individual identity instead of that of a Hive, they'll probably begin seeking pleasures, like love, as Cochlea seems to be doing...I mean...this isn't some run of the mill gem after all...I kind of feel bad for accepting it now..."

"Well as long as he's happy, right?" Suzaku asked as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Let's go."

"Go where?"

"I made dinner reservations for the two of us at your favorite place."

"Aha, you are worried, aren't you?"

"Now now, don't spoil this good mood."

"I'm onto you, buddy. Say it! You're worried aren't you?"

"Can't you just take it as me trying to be romantic?"

"You don't do romance very well, Suzaku. It's not like I care about that when it comes to you anyway."

"Ahaha...that...kind of hurts..."

"Man up and walk it off."

"Is that really something a healer should say?"

* * *

"Okay, we're ready to begin the final checks, Second Lieutenant Akemi!" Rose called down to Homura, who was currently wearing a black armored powered suit over a purple bodysuit, from the observation deck above her.

"Understood," the young woman replied as as flex her hands to get a better feel for the armor. The armored plating covered most of her body, allowing free room for her joints and fingers. There were also no pointless gaps in the armor to "emphasize" pointless parts, like the chest or rear area.

This was her job now ever since Bishop was demanded. She became part of the R&D department

"Okay, first a quick explanation," Rose said as a monitor appeared in front of Homura, showing the tech's face as well as a diagram of the armor. "What you are wearing is the VANGUARD Mark 3 Armor. Compared to the Mark 2 armor, we've managed to shrink the suit down to make it more of a powered exoskeleton and install a on-board reactor rather than having it attached to a external generator. It also incorporates a dummy AI that syncs the armor with your device's AI. This dummy AI will focus mainly on deploying barriers and shields for defense against standard attacks. In short, in exchange for defense, we've offered more mobility and deployment range."

"I'm sensing a 'but' here," Homura said as she rolled her arms.

"The suit only has an operation time of one hour," the woman replied with a sour face. "And that's if you only just walk around. More...extreme movements will kill the operation time even more. We haven't found an external power source powerful enough to keep it running without relying on the Mage's Linker Core. And even then, the sheer draw the armor takes will leave them depleted and helpless in minutes. We've tried to copy the power source used in TheBee's powered suit, but efforts to recreate it are...poor at best. Anyone who can build those things are either a genius...or a madman."

"So this test will be to see how long the generator can last under combat conditions?" Homura asked.

"Yes. If you are up to it, we'll also try testing how well it protects you from the ballistics of EDEN's weapons. Of course, this doesn't mean you have to just stand there and be shot. Being able to avoid the bullets counts as the suit protecting you. Edge Blazer will monitor your vitals and we will stop the test if it determines your life is in danger."

[_At your service, Ma'am,_] chimed the device.

"Understood," Homura nodded as she pressed her hand on her headset, allowing a purple beam to shoot across her face to the other side, creating a visor over her eyes.

"Okay. First checks, is your HUD operating as normal?"

"Yes," Homura replied as her eyes moved around, looking at the readings. Her vital readings along with the suit's power meter and armor status showing all green. "There are no problems."

"Good. Then we'll start with some basic movement."

The area in front of Homura began to shift as walls of various sizes began to rise up from the gound, creating a maze-like area.

"Please make your way through the maze as quickly as possible."

"Starting in three...two...one..." Homura said as she lowered herself into a runner's pose.

[_Start up! Ignition Boost!_]

Homura's eyes widened for a split second as she felt herself be launched forward by the boosters on her waist as her legs immediately moved to move to keep herself from falling flat on her face.

A low wall appeared in front of her and she immediately extended a hand out to vault over it, heading straight toward a wall. The boosters then turned with her body so that she was forced back onto the ground and down toward the maze.

Whenever she hit a corner, all she had to do was think that she wanted to stop and her body along with the armor reacted for her, sliding to a stop just before hitting the wall and speeding down the next corridor before hitting another corner.

Rather than armor, it was more like a second skin to her. Despite it only being the first time she's worn the armor, it already felt like it was a part of her. Was it due to the fact that the AIs have properly synched with her mind?

Homura couldn't help but think. With this armor she would be able to match any Worm in terms of strength and wouldn't be overwhelmed again...

"And...time!" Rose shouted as Homura reached the end of the maze. "Two minutes and twenty seven seconds. Good work, LT."

"Hmm..." Homura muttered noncommittally. "The Generator?"

[_System Power at fifty percent._]

"Ahh..." Rose sighed as she thumped her head on the console. "It won't even last five minutes in a serious engagement..."

"But the armor seems sufficient for those who prefer hit and run tactics and shorter engagements," Homura commented. "I prefer it over the Mark Two, which is probably more suited to Lancer Company instead."

"Fat lot of good a VANGUARD Armor that has a limited range can do for Vanguards..." the tech cried. "If only we had something to use for the power source...uuu..."

The technician let out another sigh as she pushed herself back up.

"Anyway...let's fit in a fresh generator and continue with some combat testing. We have a window of five minutes per test but it probably won't take that long for each one."

"Do you _have_ that many generators in stock?" Homura asked, raising an eyebrow.

"We have enough and we can recharge them while we work."

"If you say so..."

"Yes. Then let's move on to target practice. Like the Mark Two, the Mark Three is modifiable to fully integrate your device in it. So all of Edge Blazer's forms are accessible to you."

"And you wonder why your generators don't last..." Homura mumbled as she allowed the engineers to load up a new generator onto her armor.

"About that, if I may have a moment of your time."

Homura looked up at the observation deck and saw someone addressing Rose. It was a dark haired man wearing a lab coat caked in mud and dirt along with various other things that Homura couldn't tell from a distance.

"Yes...?" Rose asked. "You're...Bellcricetus Worm, aren't you?"

"That is correct," the revealed Worm replied with a bow. "Recently while digging out the area under Northern Base to build our Hive, we Worms have come across some really interesting items."

Bellcricetus held up a suitcase and showed its contents to Rose, whose eyes widened.

"W-what are these?" she asked as she took the case from Bellcricetus.

"Stones we found extremely deep in the planet's mantle," Bellcricetus replied. "The first one was found by Cochlea Worm and since then we found quite a few more. They seem to fit what you would call Lost Logia, but they seem to be magical in nature. Perhaps you can use these somehow?"

"Y-yes! We'll get to work on this! Maye if we...yes that might..."

I suppose the tests are over..." Homura sighed as she looked at the clock on the wall. "It's already three...Teana should be getting out of class by now."

* * *

"All right everyone, class is out. See you all after the weekend."

As the teacher ended the class, Teana picked up her bag and headed out of the school. As soon as she got to the gates, she bolted down the sidewalk, checking her watch as she did.

"Ok..." she nodded. "If I can get there in ten minutes, we have twenty minutes before the deal is over. I need to hurry."

Ten minutes later, Teana could see her destination in sight, a non-mage kindergarten.

"Einhalt!" she called out, spotting the green haired girl standing with her back against the brick wall on the outside of the school. The younger girl looked up when her name was called. "Sorry, did I make you wait long?"

"No..." Einhalt replied as she shook her head.

"Come on, stop making that face," Teana said as she placed her fingers on the edges of Einhalt's mouth and pushed them up. "Smile. You made it through Week One well enough, right?"

"It's only been one week?" Einhalt asked as her shoulders dropped even lower.

"Ahaha...oops..." Teana laughed nervously as she looked around. "A-anyway! Let's go get some cake at Orange Confectioneries, okay?"

"Okay..."

Taking the younger girl's hand, Teana led her to a bus stop where they got on a bus to cover most of the distance to the shop.

Once they got there, Once they got there, they saw that the shop was closed.

"Huh? Is he out?" Teana wondered as she knocked on the door. "Mr Gottwald? Are you there?"

Moments later, the door opened and Jeremiah poked his head out.

"Oh, Young Teana and Lady Einhalt," the man said when he saw them. "Come in, come in. Close the door behind you."

"Good afternoon," the two of them greeted as Teana closed the door behind them and walked up to the counter to talk to Jeremiah.

"Why is the shop closed?" Teana began as she looked around. "Is something wrong?"

"Not at all," Jeremiah replied as he gestured them into the kitchen. "I am simply working on a new item. I just finished the first batch. Would you like to try it?"

"Really?" Teana asked.

The girls looked at each other for a moment before they followed the man past the cloth flaps separating the store from the kitchen behind the register.

Once inside, the girls felt their jaws drop at the lines of ovens hanging from the ceiling as well as on the ground. Several of them were on and various sweet scents could be smelled coming from them.

Teana wanted to ask just how a single person could handle all of this by himself but Jeremiah quickly held out two orange pastries in front of them.

"Pumpkin Custard Pastries," Jeremiah said with a smile. "here you go."

Teana happily accepted the pastries and handed on to Einhalt before they bit into it together. She then opened her eyes and turned toward Einhalt just as the younger girl turned back toward her before looking up at Jeremiah.

"Is...something the matter?" the man asked with worry.

"Umm..." Teana began as she swallowed what she had in her mouth, unsure how to put it.

"I can't taste anything..." Einhalt replied bluntly as Teana winced at it.

"I see..." Jeremiah sighed as he scratched the back of his head. "So it's no good huh? Thankfully I only made a dozen as a start so it was not too much of a waste."

"Umm...I'm sorry..." Einhalt said as she lowered her head.

"It is fine. It is not the first nor will it be the last failure I've had."

"Do you usually have another taster?" Teana asked.

"Yes. Lady Sakura usually comes by but as she is busy at work, I haven't been able to get in contact with her for a while."

"Is something happening?" Teana asked before looking to the side and mouthing "Lady Sakura?" in disbelief at the term as to her Kyouko was anything but a "Lady."

"Who knows," Jeremiah shrugged as he went to place the pastries in the "cheap" area. "I am just a confectioner not privy to the details of the military after all."

* * *

On Non-Administrative planet 97, one week later, a trio of students were standing on the roof of Seishou Private Advance Junior High School.

"_Is everyone ready?_" the voice of Amy Limietta asked. "_I'll be opening the portal now._"

"Yes!" Takamachi Nanoha, Fate Testarossa Harlaown and Yagami Hayate replied.

"Raising Heart!"

"Bardiche!"

"Reinforce!"

"""Set up!"""

In a flash of pink, yellow and white light, the three girls' clothes vanished and were replaced by their barrier jackets just as a white portal opened above them and the three of them flew through it, reappearing on the other side at a large desert crag.

"So...what are we doing here today?" Nanoha asked as they flew past the barren scenery towards their objective area.

"_Right, the briefing,_" Amy nodded. "_The planet you are on has two historic ruins and our excavation efforts have revealed that there are Lost Logia within these ruins. There's a nearby base with all the details. All you have to do is retrieve the information and escort the team back to the Arthra._"

"So it's just a simple peaceful mission this time, then?" Nanoha asked with a sigh.

"Please don't say that," Hayate said with a wry smile. "If you say that then something exciting will end up happening."

"_Well in any case, the three of you should head to the first site while Signum and Zafira are heading over to the other site. And even if it does become quote-unquote exciting, I'm sure you three will manage somehow. Provided it doesn't end up like Orussia._"

"Seriously, stop tempting fate you guys."

"Yes?" Fate asked.

"Not you," Hayate replied as Nanoha let out a laugh.

After a few minutes, the three of them managed to arrive at the base's command center, only to see something they did not expect.

"Black and silver uniforms..." Fate gasped.

Intermixed with the brown uniforms of the regular ground forces, the 501st Anti-EDEN Black Knight forces were setting up their equipment along side that of the regular forces.

"What's going on?" Hayate asked as she and the others walked forward, being careful not to get in the way as two people in brown uniforms came up to them.

"Thank you for taking such a long trip!" a young man with purple hair and glasses greeted them with a salute. "I am the Base Assistant Manager, Griffith Roulan."

"And I'm Shario Finieno from communications," the brown haired woman with glasses beside him greeted as well.

"Griffith-kun," Hayate spoke up. "What's going on? Why are the Black Knights here?"

"We are here because of the only reason we should be here," a sharp voice said before Griffith could speak up. Turning around, the three Mages saw a black haired woman with blood red eyes wearing the uniform of the 501st with a green patch featuring a rose walk up to them. "Special Collaborator Camponotus Oculus."

"Special Collaborator..." Fate repeated before shutting her mouth, lest she say what she was thinking.

"Yes," Oculus nodded. "To answer your unspoken question, we are indeed a Worm of the Blackthorn Hive. To answer the other one, EDEN forces have been suspected in the area and we are deployed here to assist in and expedite the extraction of the excavation team. We've only just arrive a few minutes before you did with Second Lieutenant Sakura Kyouko."

"Kyouko-san is here?" Nanoha asked as she turned to Griffith.

"No, not exactly," the assistant base commander replied as Oculus gave them a swift bow and returned to her duties. "The Lieutenant left as soon as she arrived toward the site with a small squad."

Griffith then turned to make sure that none of the Black Knight soldiers could hear him before lowering his voice.

"Frankly, these 'Special Collaborators' creep me out, Miss Yagami," Griffith replied.

"Are they being a problem?" Hayate asked.

"No, it's not that. It's that they just...they're incredibly efficient, yes, but once they finish a task, most of them just stand there staring off into space until Oculus gives them an order. Like they're not really...there half the time or that they're machines. I know they're 'real' aliens and don't really think like humans but it's hard to remember that when they look so much like us."

"So they're all..." Nanoha asked as she indicated to the other Black Knights.

"Yes," Shario nodded. "The LT introduced them as such as per standard procedure when operating with the Worms from the 501st."

"I see,' Hayate nodded. "Well, it's been nice meeting you again, Griffith-kun, but we should probably get going."

"Of course," the man nodded.

"It was very nice to meet all of you!" Shario said enthusiastically as the trio smiled and exited the base before flying toward the direction of the dig site.

"Have either of you worked with Worms before?" Nanoha asked the other two. "Since Worms can't be Mages, I've never really got the chance to come across too many . Mostly a few of them on tour at the base but that's it."

"A couple times," Fate admitted. "The Enforcers often work with the Black Knights when we find intel on EDEN and the Black Knights' spies often report intel to us when they find useful things."

"There were quite a few Worms taking part in the officer classes at my Academy but they are all in a separate class from my own," Hayate said. "I do talk to one of them a lot though, his name is Culex."

"Oh, that Worm that looks like Lelouch-san?" Fate asked as Nanoha cringed slightly.

"Yes. He acts just like him most of the time that it's really scary, but he acts... how do I put it...more sarcastic than the real Lelouch-san."

"That's...frightening," Fate replied in a monotone.

"Isn't it? Nanoha-chan? Is something wrong?"

"Eh? Ahh...nothing's wrong!" Nanoha said quickly.

"Are you feeling ill?" Fate asked with worry. "Maybe you should..."

What Fate was about to say was cut off as Shario's face appeared in front of all three of them.

"_This is Shario, we have a situation at the excavation site!_" the communication officer replied. "_It's EDEN! They appear to be using some sort of mechanical weapons as well!_"

"What about the Second Lieutenant?" Hayate asked.

"_Oh I'm fine!_" came a voice as another monitor popped up, showing the image of a red headed woman wearing a black uniform with silver shoulders. Sakura Kyouko was pushing the head of a man in a dig uniform down as bullets and some kind of laser hit the fallen pillar they were using as cover.

"Kyouko-san!" Nanoha shouted.

"_Yo, Nanoha, Fate!_" Kyouko said, as if she was suddenly oblivious to her situation. "_Haven't seen you two in like...what, five months now? We should have a reunion party or something after-Vice get out of there now!_"

A loud explosion erupted from the other side of the monitor followed by a male voice screaming before a dull thud landed down somewhere near Kyouko as a man started groaning in pain.

"_What...happened to being...pulled off of active...duty...?_" the former sniper groaned. "_Why am I still being shot at?_"

"What happened?" Fate asked.

"_That was the sound of our chopper going kablooie_," Kyouko said. "_So if one of you can get here, like now, I would really really appreciate it! Where the hell is Acarina?_"

"_Fighting the other Worms, Ma'am!_" replied another Black Knight that the girls didn't recognize as he pulled Vice into cover.

"_Damn. Anyway, hurry your asses up girls!_"

"We see the site now!" Nanoha shouted as the three of them arrived, only to see several cylinder drones alongside several soldiers dressed in white armor firing at a group of people in black that were taking cover in the ruins and attempting to return fire from their spear-like devices which were being blocked by some kind of invisible force by the drones.

Scattered around the battlefield were burning pieces of metal, probably from the destroyed vehicles and drones as well as a few bodies from both sides.

"_Wide Area Scan Complete!_" Reinforce Zwei said to the others. "_The only Non-Worm allied forces in the area are around Lieutenant Sakura! Detecting four extreme heat signatures moving at high speeds all around the battlefield. Unable to keep up with the IFF reading!_"

"We can worry about the enemy Worms later," Hayate said as she directed her staff at the enemy formation. "For now we need to provide cover for the Black Knight Forces. The enemy is EDEN so magical barriers and shields will be less effective."

"The enemy also seems to be using a Nullification field," Fate noted. "Anti-Magic Field or 'AMF.'"

"_Enough with the commentary!_" Kyouko shouted as her monitor appeared again, causing the girls to jerk their heads away from the noise. "_Just take out a few of them so I can stop worrying about the civvies and push forward!_"

"_But what are supposed to do against an AMF?_" Rein asked. "_If the connection to our magic is broken then all of our attacks will be no more effective than your soldiers'! And with the Anti-Mage bullets it will be dangerous to get close!_"

"Ahahaha, looks like you are still young, Rein," Hayate laughed.

"_Huh?_"

"What Hayate-chan means is that there is no such thing as a perfect defense," Nanoha replied. "There is always a weak spot. Fate-chan!"

As Nanoha was speaking, the clouds above them suddenly turned black as thunder roared in the sky.

EDEN's human soldiers looked up to see the dark clouds and the Mages above them for a moment before retreating immediately, no doubt not wanting to be next to the drones when the attack hit.

A few of the drones turned away from the Black Knights and began firing up at Fate to try and shoot her down before the spell could go off but Nanoha was ready for that.

Firing a pink beam at the ground below them, allowing the blast to throw up a large boulder in front of them, blocking the bullets from reaching them before aiming her device at the boulder just as Fate's spell finished charging.

"Stardust!"

"Thunder!"

""FALL!""

Lightning and and stone crashed into the opposite side of the battlefield, obliterating the drones in an instant, leaving only the regular troops.

"About damn time!" Kyouko shouted as she flipped over her cover and held up her left hand which had a bright red gauntlet with a red gem on it. "Henshin!"

"Huh?" the younger girls asked as they looked at her.

"Just kidding~" Kyouko smirked as she swept her arm to the side.

Instantly, her uniform was replaced by a Barrier Jacket similar to her old Magical Girl uniform except she had a pair of red gauntlets and boots over her arms and legs, along with a black flowing cape bearing a silver Black Knight emblem on its back. She also had a holographic red visor stretching across her face in front of her eyes.

"Let's go, Tonbogiri!" Kyouko shouted as the gem on her gauntlet shined. "Shot Mode!"

[_Aye Boss! Exceed Shift: Shot Mode!_] the device replied obediently as it created a red and silver firearm in her hands with a revolver-type cartridge system in the center. Below the handle seemed to be a pair of blades with a red gem embedded directly into the handle.

"You lot take the injured and civvies and fall back!" Kyouko ordered her soldiers before pointing at Hayate and the others. "You three cover them. Here comes another wave of drones!"

"What about you?" Nanoha asked. "I can-"

"Do you have the guts to use Starlight Fall when there are actual humans in the line of fire even if they're enemies?" Kyouko shot back, causing Nanoha to flinch away. "Didn't think so. So stick with the drones and leave the guys to me."

"R-roger..." Nanoha nodded as she flew off.

"Good luck," Kyouko said as she spied several drones fly off to go after them as magic of various colors began flying back and forth. She then looked over toward the EDEN soldiers who were picking themselves off of the ground and quickly moving into cover in the rubble. "Let me show you how an Earthling fights ya terrorist bastards!"

"Damned Black Knights!" one of the Eden soldiers shouted as they opened fired on her.

"For our utopia amongst the stars!" another shouted.

But Kyouko had already moved.

Before they even fired, she had already leaped up into the air and aimed her weapon at the closest soldier and pulled the trigger.

[_Heavy Magnum!_]

A click sounded from the cylinder as it spun to the next chamber as a small hum emitted from the device as a large red orb the size of Kyouko's head form in front of the small gun barrel and fired toward the soldier who looked up just in time for the bullet to smash into his head and slammed him into the ground.

Immediately the other soldiers turned their rifles upward at Kyouko who flipped upside-down and formed a red shield at her feet, allowing her to kick off of it as small jets ignited form the heels of her boots and push herself down toward the ground, avoiding the bullets by a hair.

As soon as she hit the ground she burst forward once more towards the EDEN defensive line and fired another round at another soldier.

The red bullet launched forward, smashing through the soldier's cover and blew him off his feet, sending him flying backward into a pillar before falling flat onto the ground.

"Count!" Kyouko shouted as she shot forward once more under the suppressing fire of the EDEN soldiers before slamming her shoulder against a ruined truck, her barrier jacket protecting her from the heat and flames.

[_Four cartridges remain, Boss._] Tonbogiri replied. [_Two tangos at two o'clock, distance fifty. Recommended Spell: Heavy Bomber!_]

"Let's do it!" Kyouko nodded as she aimed her gun at the direction indicated on her HUD as the device cylinder clicked and spun twice, creating a large magic circle at Kyouko's feet.

[_Aye Boss! Heavy Bomber!_]

"FIRE!"

With a pull of the trigger, an even larger bullet, one bigger than Kyouko was tall, erupted from the barrel and blew right through the destroyed truck, leaving a perfect and smoldering hole in its edge.

Two soldiers that had been trying to get around the truck for a shot at Kyouko could only scream in pain as the magic bullet enveloped them and blew them aside.

"Damn it! Just rush her!"

The remaining five soldiers seemed to have just given up relying on cover and decided to rush her, holding their rifles in one arm and drawing blades out with the other.

"Shift Modes!" Kyouko ordered.

[_Aye Boss! Exceed Shift: Spear Mode!_]

Kyouko held her gun out to the side, grabbing it by the barrel with the handle pointed up, allowing the blades at the bottom of the handle to extend out, creating a trident as the barrel extended forward, creating the base of her spear as the center blade of the trident began glowing red with magical energy.

"I'm going to make you all pay for killing my guys," Kyouko said as she spun her spear around in front of her before bursting forward and slashing one of the soldiers as she passed.

"Shoot her! Shoot her damn it!"

"Screw you!" Kyouko shouted as she pulled her cape off its clasped and threw it in front of her.

[_Exceed Shift: Iron Wall!_]

The cape immediately stretched out at four points and held there by magic before hardening in place, stopping the bullets just enough before crumbling back into cloth, but Kyouko had already disappeared.

"W-where did she...?"

_[Exceed Charge: ACS Driver!_]

The remaining soldiers barely had time to look up to see Kyouko spinning her her spear around in her hand and bathing in a red light as four energy wings erupted from the shaft. A second later, she launched herself toward the center of the soldiers, blasting magical energy and rock around he, blasting the soldiers to the side.

"Not so tough without numbers or drones, are you...?" Kyouko asked as she jerked Tonbogiri to the side, popping out the cartridge cylinder and ejecting the spent cartridges.

[_Reloading!_] Tonbogiri said as Kyouko pulled out a cartridge speedloader from a pouch and inserted the fresh cartridges into the device.

"Tonbogiri, what's the status of the others?" she asked, tossing the used up speedloader aside.

[_All Mages have reached the rendezvous point. Awaiting you, Boss._]

"Got it. Casualty report?"

Three explosions sounded from behind Kyouko, causing her to turn around and look just in time to see a large red and black Worm covered in dozens of spines land behind her. It was vaguely humanoid with a giant pincer for a right arm and a relatively normal hand for its left.

"Our side losses: Two Javelin Knights and three Blackthorn Worms," the Worm replied as its form changed to be identical to Kyouko except that its hair did not go past the neck while Kyouko's went down all the way to her waist. "Enemy losses..."

"Annihilated," Kyouko interrupted as the Worm looked at her.

[_All EDEN soldiers in the area still show life signs, Boss._] Tonbogiri interjected.

"I said..." Kyouko said fiercely as she tightened her grip on her device. "They were completely annihilated. Any objections?"

"You won't get any arguments from me," Acarina replied.

"Tonbogiri, report that all EDEN soldiers were killed in the engagement."

[_Aye Boss._]

* * *

"Report from Second Lieutenant Sakura," one of the Black Knight soldiers said as he turned to Nanoha and the others. "The situation has calmed down and EDEN forces in that zone have been pacified. She said to head back to base without her and she will be along shortly."

"Pacified...huh...?" Vice asked as let out a sigh. "Least it's over now."

"By pacified..." Nanoha began. "Does that mean that they're all..."

"Yeah," Vice nodded. "It tends to happen a lot in these engagements. EDEN forces always want to fight to the last for some reason."

"I...see..."

"Umm...is that the Lost Logia we were sent to retrieve?" Fate asked the excavators.

"That's right," one of them replied. "Inside the case is a crystal of some sort. I'd call it a 'relic.'"

"A relic..."

"Is something wrong, Fate-chan?" Nanoha asked.

The girls looked at each other for a moment before the Black Knight's communication officer raised his hand to get everyone's attention.

"Another transmission is coming in," he said as he played it.

The transmission was full of static with a few words inserted here and there but Nanoha was able to recognize the voice.

"That's..." Nanoha began as she gestured to the radio and the officer handed it to her. "This is the dispatch from the Athra, Signum-san, is that you?"

"_Is that you, Nanoha?_" Signum asked. "_Is everything okay over there?_"

"Not really...we were attacked by EDEN forces but we managed to rescue the excavation team..wait...were you attacked by EDEN as well?"

"_I'm not sure if they were EDEN but we did encounter enemies,_" Signum replied. "_Have EDEN started using automated drones in combat?_"

Nanoha looked toward Vice who shrugged his shoulders.

"First time we encountered them, right?" Vice asked, turning to another soldier who nodded.

"_I see...so they're new unknowns then._"

"Signum," Hayate cut in. "What about the site itself?"

"_Completely obliterated._"

* * *

Signum and Zafira looked at the large crater that used to be one of the Saint Church's excavation site.

"_What?_" Hayate asked.

"When we arrived, the dig site was nothing more than a crater," Signum explained. "Our only solace is that the site was unmaned."

"_Hmm...I'm guessing when they saw us at the first dig site, they decided not to take any chances and just decided to blow up the second one,_" came the Black Knight officer's voice again. "_I don't suppose they left behind the Lost Logia with the drones as a trap?_"

"No, only the drones were here when we arrived," Signum replied. "I believe this mission will not be as simple as it first appeared."

"_When it comes to EDEN, nothing is._"

* * *

"What a terrible sight..." Vita noted. She and Shamal had been on standby until Signum had called them in as back up. "No smoke or charring either. Do we have an idea who caused it?"

"Considering that the same drones that appeared here attacked Sakura Kyouko at the other site, there is a good chance that EDEN is behind it," Zafira replied.

"EDEN...Eternal..."

"Something wrong?"

"First ruins and now drones again..." Vita muttered. "All I can think about is something I'd really rather forget about..."

"G_...kagr...kh..saf..."_

_A mangled mess of words came from the man's mouth, an achievement in itself considering the hole in his chest._

"_He opened his eyes! Don't you dare die on us, you hear me!"_

"_I'm sorry...I'm sorry...I'm sorry..."_

"_Calm down! This is not the time to panic! Come on...heal...heal damn it!"_

"_Urkgak...klah...awrgh.."_

_The man that was the center of their bond was laying in the snow in an ocean of his own blood._

Vita's thoughts were interrupted when she suddenly felt someone smack her back.

"What is with that face, Vita?" Signum asked before placing her hand on the smallest knight's head. "Rein will be worried if she saw that."

"Shut up," Vita muttered as she ran a hand across her eyes. "I'm thinking here so don't pat my head. So what are we going to do?"

As if to answer her question, Zafira's head suddenly jerked upward as the guardian beast looked toward the forest.

"There's something moving in the forest," he said. "A lot of somethings."

"_This is the observation base!_" Shario's voice blared out to them. "_It seems to be another wave of the drones from before! However, there doesn't seem to be any Worms or other soldiers with them. They seem to be heading toward the convoy._"

"Considering that Hayate-chan and the other two are there, there shouldn't be much of a problem," Shamal muttered. "But considering the cargo and the exhausted Black Knights with them..."

"It would be best to take them out before then," Signum said as she smacked Vita on the back again. "Observation Base. Two of the Wolkenritter will engage the incoming drones."

"Quit deciding things for me!" Vita shouted.

"Hoh? Are you against my decision as your leader?"

"That's not what I meant...!"

"Don't worry, the two of us will be fine here," Shamal said.

"If you need back up, we'll rush over," Zafira added.

"To protect and guard people is the duty of a guardian knight," Signum said. "Let's go, in order to fulfill that duty."

Vita looked at her fellow knights for a moment before shaking her head to clear it.

"Okay fine! I'm going!" she shouted.

It was fine that she was feeling pissed off.

She could take it out on those stupid drones.

That memory from that day will never happen again due to the current circumstances.

Even so...she didn't want want anyone to make such a face again.

* * *

"_I suppose that will do it for the report._"

"I see...my condolences for your fallen soldiers," Carim Gracia, leader of the Saint Church's Knights said to one of her callers.

"_Thank you...I just hope a couple of magic rocks are worth their lives._"

"_For someone who doesn't care much for the Church or religion, you sure didn't hesitate to send reinforcements before I could, Lelouch,_" Chrono Harlaown said as the other caller huffed. "_Even going to the trouble of making this call on your vacation._"

"_If there is one thing I can unfortunately agree with Eternal, is that the collection of Lost Logia by anybody is a foolish and stupid endeavor as Orussia showed us. But it is not my place to dictate which direction our glorious organization goes. As for this call...well...my people strong-armed their way into your operation so I could at the very least show my face and try to apologize._"

"_I didn't hear any sort of apology._"

"_I said 'try' Boy. Needless to say, I'm not trying very hard._"

Chrono let out an indignant huff as Carim giggled into her hand.

"Nevertheless, thank you for your support, Lelouch Lamperouge," Carim replied.

"_Hopefully it won't be a common occurrence,_" Lelouch replied. "_The less active, EDEN is, the better it is for everyone involved._"

"_Agreed,_" Chrono nodded. "_Do you mind if I take charge of the investigation?_"

"_Not at all. First why don't you investigate everyone connected to this mission?_"

"You suspect one of our people is a traitor?" Carim asked, her eyes wide.

"_With the abundance of Worms the enemy has, I don't doubt that someone could have been replaced, especially when the only way we can detect them is with powerful thermal scanners or by skin contact with another Worm. It would be better to be safe than sorry after all-_"

The door of whatever room Lelouch was in suddenly slammed open as the monitor suddenly turned black due to the man slamming the screen down against the desk.

"_Oi Lelouch, are you there?_"

"_What the hell are you doing, Emelita!_"

"_Looking for you of course,_" came what seemed like the voice of a young girl. "_Who were you talking to in here?_"

"_I'm talking to no one! Get out!_"

"_What? I'm just here to get you for Wil's promotion party._"

"_And I'm sure he will enjoy it just fine without me so get the hell out!_"

"It sounds like his vacation isn't so restful after all..." Carim noted.

"_I wonder if he is into little girls after all..._" Chrono muttered.

Well, that was another story altogether.

"_Huh? Is someone speaking from your desk?_"

"_GET OUT!_"

* * *

"Yo, looks like you all made it back okay," Kyouko said once Nanoha, Hayate, Fate and the Wolkenritter all made it back to the Observation Base with the convoy.

"How did you get back here before us?" Vita asked in a deadpan.

"I have my ways," the taller red head said as she patted the shorter one on the head.

"Why is everyone patting me on my head?" Vita demanded as she threw Kyouko's hand off.

"Because you're so cute, Vita-chan!" Nanoha said as she jumped at the knight.

"Don't hug me, Nanoha!"

"Aww, no need to be shy~"

"Seriously, get off!"

"Kyouko-san, are you doing anything later?" Fate asked, ignoring the other two.

"Heh? Why?" the older girl asked.

"We were planning on having a party on the Athra. Do you think you can come?"

"Ahh..." Kyouko muttered as she looked to the side. "That sounds like fun and I really want to but..."

"Hurry and load it up!"

Everyone turned around to see Oculus leading several Black Knights who were carrying several large rectangular containers onto transports marked with the Battalion's Emblem.

"Are those..." Nanoha began.

"They're the equipment!" Kyouko said loudly and quickly before grabbing Fate and Nanoha by the shoulders and spinning them around . "We have to get all our crap loaded up then I gotta make a report and all that boring stuff. So you all go ahead and have my share of the fun for me, okay?"

"Sakura, you..." Signum began but Kyouko quickly pushed the younger girls towards her.

"Don't worry about it. Leave Black Knight matters to the Black Knights."

With that, Kyouko turned around and rushed over toward her troops and started yelling at them to which Oculus seemed to just ignore her.

"Oh...okay..." Nanoha muttered as the portal to the Athra appeared behind them. As the others went through, Nanoha gave one last look at the containers before stepping through herself.

* * *

April 29th of the Seventy-First year on the Modern Era calender.

"Which flight was he on again?" Suzaku asked as he turned toward Mami who was standing beside him, checking a data pad in her hands.

"It should be Shuttle 141," Mami replied as she put the data pad away. "He'll be coming in through Terminal G."

"Got it," Suzaku nodded as the two of them walked down the corridor of the airport. "It's been one heck of a month, hasn't it?"

"Are you referring to the operation at the excavation site, the constant hounding at the 'incompetence' of the supposed Anti-EDEN unit by the other Generals, Einhalt-chan looking at the calender every thirty minutes, the development of the Mark IV VANGUARD armors using the thermal-magical crystals excavated by the Blackthorn Hive, or Chrono-san and Amy-san's upcoming wedding?"

"I think a few of those are a lot less important than the others."

"You're right. At least the most important matter of Einhalt-chan missing her father will be resolved today, right?" Mami asked with a smile.

"Ahaha..." Suzaku laughed as he scratched his cheek just as a chime signaled the arrival of the next shuttle. "Guess that's him. Let's go."

Mami nodded as they quickened their pace toward the Terminal when something or rather someone from the crowd ran headfirst into Suzaku's stomach.

"Oof!" the man let out a grunt as he lurched over and stumbled backwards with his hands over his stomach in pain. "Why...did that hurt so much?"

"Ouchie!" came the voice of a small girl who had fallen over as she rubbed her head. She had dark blue hair with green eyes and was wearing a pink shirt with striped sleeves with a matching pink skirt.

"Are you okay?" Mami asked, as she knelt down in front of the girl.

"Yeah...sorry!" the girl said as she hopped to her feet and bowed to Suzaku who raised a hand and made a gesture to say that it was okay.

"Are you lost?"

"Yep! Just a little bit!" the girl replied with a nod and a smile causing Mami to look on in worry. "But I'll be okay! Goodbye! And sorry!"

"What an...energetic child..." Mami noted as the girl ran off again. "Are you okay, Suzaku-san?"

"I don't get it..." Suzaku said as he placed a hand on the wall and tried to take deep breaths. "It was only a small child...so why does it feel like I've been hit by a wrecking ball?"

"Come now, Suzaku-san, there's no need to be so dramatic."

"I'm not..." Suzaku said as he finally pushed himself off the wall and shook his head. "Ugh...I'll probably feel that in the morning..."

Mami simply sighed as they made their way to the waiting area.

Then, about five minutes later, they spotted Lelouch walking down the path wearing a strange black and silver robe that he most certainly did not own before he went on the vacation. He was also accompanied by a pink haired woman with orange fox ears extending out the top of her head.

The woman was dressed in a black and silver kimono and was looking around the airport with astonishment as if she had never seen such a thing before. Most notably, was that she was clinging onto Lelouch's arm with her legs unsteady.

"Please tell me you didn't get married on your vacation..." Suzaku said, pinching the base of his nose as Lelouch came up to the, wearing an amused smirk as he looked between Suzaku and Mami, the latter of which was gaping at the two of them with her mouth open before slowly raising her arm to point at the duo.

"Don't worry, I did no such thing," Lelouch replied before gesturing toward his companion. "This is Seiya, a Fire Fox I met during my vacation."

"Fire...Fox?" Mami repeated as she quickly shook her head to clear it. "Oh, then is she like Arf-san and Zafira-san?"

"Arfsan...Zafirasan?" Seiya repeated as she turned toward Lelouch for clarification.

"They are wolves who made a contract with others like the one you made with me," Lelouch said as Seiya nodded in understanding before he turned toward Suazaku. "Not that kind of contract."

"I wasn't going to ask," Suzaku said, raising his hands. "Anyway, what's with the robes?"

"This? It's the clothes a friend of mine made while I was there in exchange for working with him."

"What happened to simply being on vacation?"

"I got bored."

"Did you get your clothes from that person too, Seiya-san?"

"No," Seiya said as she held up one of her arms to show off the sleeve. "These clothes appeared when I made the contract with Master Lelouch. And it's just Seiya...not Seiyasan."

"Yes...let's go with that..." Lelouch muttered his eyes turning away for a moment. "Anyway, I didn't get an in-flight meal so I am a bit hungry. Is Einhalt still at Madoka's?"

"Yes," Mami nodded. "Teana-chan has been picking her up from the Nursery and helping her with homework as well. I think they became good friends in the past month."

"I see, I suppose I could give her a thank you gift. Anyway, I want to get something to eat before I get back home. So let's hurry."

"Understood, is there anything you'd like to eat, Seiya-s...I mean...Seiya?" Mami asked feeling a little awkward dropping the honorific.

"I would prefer to eat some meat," Seiya replied. "Other than that, I am not picky."

"I didn't think you'd get much vegetation living at the base of an active volcano..." Lelouch muttered.

"Volcano...?" Suzaku asked.

"I had a _very_ interesting time," Lelouch said with a smile. "Though I'd rather not tell the story more than once. So let's go."

Adjusting his bags a bit, Lelouch started walking with Seiya still hanging by his arm.

"Umm...is there a reason you are clinging onto him?" Mami couldn't help but ask.

"I've walked on four legs for the last four hundred and eighty five years..." Seiya replied. "I've started walking on two for the last two days...and was sitting down for the most part..."

"Ahh..."

That explained why her legs were shaking. It was because she still getting used to walking and Lelouch was using him as a support. Nothing more.

More importantly, she was just his familiar and nothing else. Yes, that was the most important part and thus nothing to worry about.

"Master?"

At least until Lelouch suddenly stopped and looked off to the side.

* * *

"Master...is there something wrong?" Seiya asked.

Lelouch was staring at the baggage claim area where a purple haired man in a suit was picking up a steel suitcase that had an intricate lock on it. That in itself was nothing unusual, but Lelouch could have sworn he saw that man somewhere before.

"Where have I..." he began when a flash appeared in his memory.

_A man stood before him in a dark cave, illuminated only by small lights and the large screen beside them, showing a girl on the floor clasping her neck as she bled out._

_The man was letting out a cold and cruel laughter as he could only watch as the girl's life faded away._

"Oi, Lelouch?" Suzaku asked as he felt a hand shake his shoulder. "Is something wrong? You're looking very pale?"

"Are you sick?" Mami asked. "Maybe we should get you home instead."

"Impossible...he's dead. I killed him...I know I did...!"

"What?"

Lelouch suddenly found his body heating up, his palms getting sweaty, his throat becoming dry as his mind was filled with utter rage.

"CURTIS!" Lelouch roared as he pulled his arm out of Seiya's grip and dashed toward the man who turned around to look at him in shock.

But that was as far as he got when an explosion suddenly rocked the entire airport.

Lelouch stumbled forward a bit as an alarm started sounding throughout the airport.

"_**Attention: Ladies and gentlemen: this is a safety announcement. We are going to evacuate the terminal now. Please remain calm and follow the airport staff's instructions as you head-**_"

Another explosion rocked the terminal as the speakers also exploded in a cloud of sparks.

Immediately people started screaming and running around in a panic.

Lelouch immediately found himself being pushed around by people scrambling for the exit as he lost sight of his target in the crowd.

"Oi! Wait you bastard!" he shouted as he tried to push his way against the sea of people.

"Lelouch! What are you doing?" he heard Suzaku shout.

"_A known EDEN member has been sighted!_" he responded telepathically, cursing himself for making himself known in his haste. "_He must have had something to do with the explosion!_"

Though he said that, judging from the man's face, he was just as surprised as Lelouch was when the explosion rang out.

Lelouch finally extracted himself from the sea of people and looked around, trying to find the EDEN officer again, ignoring Suzaku's attempts to get him to stop.

He wasn't going to let that bastard get away.

And then, on the other side of the terminal, he spotted him. The bastard was attempting to flee with two other people beside him.

"FOUND YOU! HENSHIN!"

[_KAMEN RIDE! DECADE!_]

Immediately, the Decadriver appeared around his waist as the Decade card flew out into his hand. He then inserted the card into the belt buckle and leaped into the air immediately after the Decade Armor appeared around him, bringing his sword down on the man.

Curtis however immediately spun around, bringing the suitcase up to bear, and used it to deflect the blade before pushing Decade back.

"Wha...?" Decade gasped as he landed on his feet.

"See?" a woman with dark red, shoulder length hair standing next to Curtis asked. "I told you his form would be too obvious."

"Shut up," "Curtis" shot back. "It was a one in a million thing and you know it!"

"Nevertheless, it appears that our cover has been blown," the other person beside "Curtis" said. He was an older man with his hair pulled back into a short ponytail with round rimless glasses.

"What...?" Decade asked before realizing the implications. "Whitestorm...!"

As if to confirm his acknowledgment, the three people in front of him shifted.

The old man shifted into a tall white Worm with yellow spines extending from certain parts of its body. It had two humanoid hands with long yellow nails with a large blade extending from its left wrist and two shorter ones extending from the right one. It's head was rounded with two flaps extending from above its mouth down to cover the sides of his neck like an old samurai helmet. It also had two horns extending out and sideways from the sides of his head, with an end that pointed toward the front.

The woman also turned into a white Worm with dozens of little spines extending out of the white armored plates on her body. Unlike the male Worm, she didn't have any blades extending from her arms and instead had a giant pincer, about half the size of Decade's leg for a right forearm instead. It's head was similar to the first one except that its lower half was not armored and instead was similar to the lower half a of a human woman's.

And finally Curtis transformed into a brutal looking white Worm with even more spikes extending out of nearly every crevice in its body. From its armored plates to even the crevices below them, ranging from spines the size of Lelouch's finger to those the size of his forearm extending from the Worm's shoulder. It's left arm also had an extremely long stinger that was nearly as big as a person.

Immediately, the screams of the crowd behind him grew in number as the sounds countless Worms made themselves known from within the crowd. Unlike the three in front of Decade, the new Worms were all in their Silas forms.

"Uca...Genomyas...and Pulex Worms..." Decade muttered, recognizing them from the dossiers he received from the Blackthorn Worms

"Now then, humans," the red spiked Worm said as he held his left arm out toward Decade. "Enjoy this burning hell."

* * *

"Is Homura-san not back yet?" Teana asked as she helped Madoka set the table.

Since being taken in by Madoka and Homura, she had been drilled to at least use honorifics when speaking to one of the Japanese adults, which happened to include nearly everyone of the adults she knew except for two.

"No," Madoka said as she shook her head. "Homura-san is still busy and probably won't be home until very late tonight. Did you have something you wanted to ask her?"

"I was going to ask if she could teach me how to shoot."

"Shoot? Why do you want to learn something like that?"

"I was...thinking of applying to the TSAB..." Teana admitted, sheepishly.

Madoka stared at the girl for a long while.

"Um...are you sure that's what you want?" Madoka asked slowly. "I mean, it's very dangerous you know? Especially with EDEN around. You understand that, right?"

"I know..." Teana nodded. "I know how dangerous it can be. But..."

Teana clenched her hands together as her voice trailed off.

Madoka let out a small sigh as she knelt down and placed her hands on Teana's shoulders.

"Well...let's talk about it with Homura-san when she gets back home, okay?"

"You're...okay with it?"

"Honestly? I think you are much to young to even think about doing something like that. Homura-san and I waited until we were seventeen before joining up. I know that there is an age limit on signing up, but don't you think you should wait until you're a bit older?"

"I..."

[_Alert: Urgent Message from Castle Base!_] Madoka's device, Duel Sakura suddenly announced.

"Eh?" Madoka gasped as she stood up and looked at the Device, which was taking the form of a pendant around her neck. "What's going on?"

[_Receiving: Too all Black Knights in the area. A fire is currently spreading in Coastal Airport 8 in Northern Mid-Childa. Major Kururugi Suzaku and Lieutenant Tomoe Mami are already on site as is General Lelouch Lamperouge. On site reports have also indicated that Whitestorm Worms are mixed in with the civilians. All available Blackthorn Worms and available Combat Mages please report to either Northern Base or Castle Base to be transferred on site. Use of the Mark IV VANGUARD armor has been approved. All forces respond and deploy._]

"I'm sorry, I need to go," Madoka said as she ran out of the kitchen, jumping to the side to avoid running into Einhalt as the younger girl was just coming in.

"Did something happen?" Einhalt asked.

"Sorry, Einhalt-chan. I have to go to work really quickly. Just eat dinner with Teana-chan. I'll be back!"

"Have a safe trip..."

"Einhalt, turn on the news," Teana said as she grabbed their dinner and carried it over to the living area.

Einhalt complied as she quickly ran over to the couch and turned on the TV as Teana sat down beside her. There, they saw that the station was displaying the image of the burning airport.

"Teana?"

"Yes?"

"How is Father going to get home if the airport is on fire?"

"I'm...sure there are other airports he can use..."

* * *

[_REA-DY!_]

"Henshin!"

[_FIST ON!_]

A rusted golden armor shot out of the belt around Suzaku's waist, knocking a Worm back away from the civilians before forming back around the knight, forming the Ixa Armor around Suzaku.

"Mami!" Ixa shouted as he pulled out the Ixa Calibur. "Please take care of the civilians."

"Leave it to me!" Mami nodded as she pulled her hair clip off her head and held it up. "Set up!"

Mami's clothes flashed in a yellow light before it died, replacing her clothes with a black uniform with golden lines running down her front and arms with clasps holding the front of the uniform together. On her right shoulder was a dual layered shoulder plate depicting the emblem of the Black Knights on it. She also had on a black skirt with a gold rimming and armored boots that reached up to her knees over stockings that went to her thighs with a half cape draping from her waist. Of course, she still had a white feathered black beret on her head.

Mami then held up an elegant black and gold lever-action rifle and fired magic bullets past Suzaku to give him a bit more room, allowing the knight to rush past the Salis to help his king.

"Everyone, please hurry to the exit!"

The civilians quickly funneled through the hallway as Mami fired at the Worms to keep them from chasing after them or escaping.

Seiya meanwhile was stumbling over her own feet as she tried to get out of the mob's way before tripping and falling into a luggage rack.

"How do humans do this...?" she screamed in anger, losing the calm aura she had before. "I have had enough of this!"

In a flash of orange light, the fox woman disappeared and was replaced by a large fox with a golden orange coat with a long lock of pink fur flowing from its head just below her right eye.

"Seiya, no using fire!" Decade shouted for a split second before vanishing again to combat the Whitestorm Worms within the Clock Up Dimension.

"_This place is already in flames!_" the familiar shouted, collecting the flames around her into a large ball above her head. "_Would a little more show any difference?_"

"Well, it would make the airport not burn down as quickly so the civilians can escape," Mami replied as she pushed down on the lever, ejecting a cartridge from the rifle and charging the magic within it.

[_Tiro Primo!_] Mami's device, Aureus Lapis, declared as the golden lines on the device began glowing, creating a compact yet dense magic bullet in front of the barrel.

"Shoot!" Mami declared and pulled the trigger.

The bullet flew forward, smashing into one of the three Silas lumbering toward her like a zombie. Upon impact, the bullet seemed to explode with wind pressure.

The two Silas to the side of the one hit were instantly thrown aside while the target itself was sent flying backward into the wall in a loud screeching scream before smashing against the wall and exploding in a swath of white flames which burned for a second before being enveloped by the already spreading torrent.

"_What happened to not spreading anymore fire?_" Seiya asked as she jumped on a Silas, forcing it to the ground before attempting to dig her claws and fangs into its shell.

"I can't help it if Worms explode into flames when destroyed!" Mami replied as she pushed down on the lever again, ejecting another cartridge and aimed at the Worm Seiya was on.

The fox quickly jumped back in a somersault allowing Mami a clear shot as she fired. The bullet slammed into the Worm, sending it screeching across the ground towards Ixa and another Worm that were locked together.

The White Knight immediately jumped back, allowing the two Worms to collide before rushing forward and stabbing the two Worms on the ground, destroying them.

He then ran back towards Mami and Seiya.

"Ten minutes until the first wave of reinforcements arrive," the Knight replied, holding a hand up to the side of his helmet. "The other girls are coming along with a few Blackthorn Worms. They're bringing Glaive and Katana platoons."

Immediately after he finished, Decade reappeared behind the Knight with his back against his just as the three second stage Worms appeared around them. Immediately, Seiya and Mami placed their backs near the Riders so that they could cover all four directions.

"Can you see them?" Decade asked.

"Yeah," Ixa nodded. "Whether or not I can hit them is another thing. Leading the shots don't work most of the time."

"Just shoot. I'll do the leading for you. Seiya."

"_Yes, Master?_" the familiar asked.

"Try and control the flames. If we can slow or even halt the spread, the Rescue and Relief forces should have an easier time putting it out."

"_I will be unable to move in the meantime, Master._"

"Mami."

"Understood," Mami replied immediately as a yellow visor appeared in front of her eyes. She understood her job even without being told, to which Decade nodded with approval.

"Three...two...one...go!"

He vanished. The second stage Worms vanished with him.

Immediately Ixa rushed forward, his red blade shining against the flames. The Worms attempted to attack the Knight Rider with their claws, only for Mami to shoot them aside, leaving an opening for Ixa to slash them through on his way to the open.

There he switched the Ixa Calibur to Gun Mode as he scanned the area with his visor.

The cross-like cross-hair was moving along with his eyes, trying to keep track of four different bright orange figures moving amongst the flames.

"Over there!" he shouted as he suddenly shot to his left.

Immediately sparks exploded outward about three meters from his position as the red spiked Worm fell face forward in a growl of pain.

"_Damned human!_" the Worm growled as it stood back up and turned toward Ixa instead.

Ixa didn't say anything as his visor opened up along with several sections of his armor. The top half of his visor flew outward slightly before reversing itself into the shape of a crown, changing the color of his helmet into blue as the mouth piece also pushed itself forward and fell into Ixa's outstretched hand.

"_What...?_"

"I suppose this is another form of...'Cast Off?'" Rising Ixa asked as he activated the Ixaraiser, turning it into a gun. He then held up both the Ixa Calibur and the Ixaraiser and started shooting at the Commander Worm, knocking it back in a shower of sparks, causing it to fly back and lose the suitcase it was holding. "The case! Huh?"

Ixa quickly stepped to the side as one of the Silas Worms quickly tried to attack him from behind. Pulling the Ixa Calibur back into Sword Mode, he quickly slashed the Worm three times, stepping past it with the third slash before turning around and running his blade into the Worm's chest.

The Worm let out a pained and pitiful cry as it tried to grab Ixa's arm, only for the knight to pull the blade back out, causing the Worm to fall to its knees before exploding.

"Where did that..." Ixa began as an alert blared inside his helmet, causing him to turn around. "MAMI! BEHIND YOU!"

"Huh?"

Mami turned around just in time to see something large and white take up half her vision as she quickly raised her device to counter.

* * *

Ixa's warning had reached Decade's ears just as he forced the other two Whitestorm Commander Worms out of Clock Up.

He turned around just in time for a splattering noise to reach his ears.

It was if he was watching the scene in slow motion.

A fourth Commander Worm had appeared and placed itself just behind Mami.

It had ran one of its large stingers through Mami's face just as she was turning around.

The result was that the stinger had tore a large chunk of the right side of Mami's head open, tearing out an eye in the process, causing the young woman to spin slightly as she was thrown off of her feet and was falling toward the floor.

Not before she pulled the trigger of her device however, as the device immediately fired its bullet into the Worm's eye in retaliation.

"MAAAAAMMMIIIIIII!"

* * *

Chapter's End Corner:

**Harouki**: Yeah...decided to end it off here. The chapter was getting way too damn long.

**Lelouch**: I will murder you.

**Hayate**: Noooo! We still need him!

**Sayaka**: We can do with someone better in my opinion...

**Harouki**: Well, let's see how this goes. See you next time.


End file.
